


wanna know what your love feels like

by chaoticqueer



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F, Mutual Pining, fake dating au, trini and zack are bros, trini's parents are problematic™ but they're trying, zack ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-10-13 02:37:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 38,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10504683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticqueer/pseuds/chaoticqueer
Summary: The fake dating au nobody asked for.“I got in trouble with my mom. Would you pretend to be my gf and come over for dinner sometime? Explain later.”Well, it’s not getting much better than this. She hits send.Trini waits anxiously to see if Kimberly is gonna check her phone. She feels warm as if there was a huge spotlight directly on top of her. Her palms are already clammy.Kim slightly moves in her seat, and a few moments later, Trini sees she’s got a new message.“Sure. Leave your bedroom window open tonight.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so... this is a thing i'm working on, i hope you guys like it. There's not a lot of Kim in this first chapter but I've already written the next one and I can promise you she's very much there (a lot). Anyway, enjoy. Don't forget to give me feedback if you can, please!

Trini and Zack could be considered pretty close friends. Ever since he figured out her sexuality and assured her he got her back, Trini started feeling more and more comfortable around him. Which is why every once in a while the two teenagers would meet up in Trini’s house to study and hang out. Today was one of those days.

Trini’s brothers were at a friend’s place, while her dad was at work. Normally, her mom would be doing some errands or working from home in her office, but in a dark twist of fate, the woman was free that day and walking around the house doing chores. So that left her around while Zack was over.

You see, that wouldn’t have been a problem, except that Zack is Zack. And by that I mean, he teases Trini about her crush on Kimberly every time the two get together, and with Trini’s mom around, that proved to be, well..., very bad.

An hour ago, when the duo was studying chemistry, everything seemed to be going alright, but then they stopped for a snack and that’s when things had started going south.

At first they talked about how Billy had this idea for an app he was thinking of developing and how great that was, but then Zack mentioned Kimberly and that’s when the teasing started.

It’s no secret to Zack that Trini has a crush on the pink ranger, he had managed to figure it out in a week of being friends with the girls, and later somehow got Trini to admit it. The boy was the only one who knew about it, since Trini had made him promise he wouldn’t tell anyone, which means he was always bringing it up and trying to make his friend blush when they were alone.

So that’s how they got in the mess about to start.

“How’s your girlfriend, by the way?” Zack asked, as serious as he could sound while teasing someone about their secret crush.

Trini was about to reply with one of her usual remarks, but that’s when Trini’s mother decided to make an appearance. The woman came out of nowhere and started asking question after question and Trini got so startled she couldn’t even form a full sentence for the first three minutes.

“Girlfriend? Since when do you have a girlfriend? Why have we not met her? How long have you been together? Do I know her? Why haven’t you told me? Why were you hiding this from your family?”

Trini thinks she’s about to have a stroke. Her eyes widen and all she wants to do is scream that Kimberly Hart is NOT her girlfriend and probably will never be, and then go hide in her room until she dies. But all she can do is glance between Zack and her mom, flabbergasted and speechless, completely caught off guard.

“Are you not gonna answer at least one of my questions? I don’t know what’s so wrong with you that you can’t even talk to your mom.” Her mother insists, clearly disappointed and confused.

“I-I...” She tries to respond but finds her throat dry and her tongue feels like it’s so swollen it doesn’t fit inside her mouth. _God, what’s wrong with her? It’s simple! Just deny it! You’re single and Zack was just making fun of you! Come on, Trini!_

She’s about to give up and pretend not to have heard anything her mom said when Zack gives her knee a warm squeeze and she finds herself grounded again.

“I don’t have a girlfriend. Zack was just teasing me.” She mumbles, finally able to breathe again.

“Why would he do such a thing?” Her mother questions, suspicious as always.

“Because he’s my friend and friends do that all the time.”

Trini’s mother sighs, then looking at her daughter in the eyes.

“I don’t know why but I don’t believe you. I’m disappointed you don’t trust your family enough to let us know you’re dating someone. I really wish you would bring her over so your dad and I could meet her.”

“But I don’t-“ Her mom doesn’t let her finish.

“Why do you keep lying? I know we took sometime to accept who you are and I know that was hard for you but your dad and I are trying really hard to make things right! Is this you punishing us for taking so long?”

Trini lets her gaze fall to the floor, not knowing how to deal with the sitation she was suddenly in. Her mother sounds so sad and convinced Trini is lying that she wouldn’t believe her if she kept telling the truth.

So she lies. How ironic.

Without thinking about it, without stopping to realise what that lie would do, she just lies.

To make her mother happy. Because even if things are weird and unstable between them, she still longs for her approval.

“I’m sorry.” She starts, looking at her mom again. “I was being stupid, I’m really sorry. I’ll bring her over and introduce you to her, I promise.”

Zack’s eyes widen and he starts coughing desperately. Somehow Trini knows exactly what he’s thinking: What are you doing?!

“Thank you for being honest, mija. I’m proud of you.” Trini’s mother smiles and she wants to die for lying to her like that. She feels like lying down on the street and having Zack run her over with his zord. “I can’t wait to meet this girl.”

A few seconds later, Trini and Zack are left alone again. As soon as the adult disappears after informing them she was about to go grocery shopping, Trini sighs and slowly lies down on the carpeted floor.

“Trini...”

“What.”

“Why did you-“ Zack starts, but gets interrupted by his friend.

“I don’t know! I just didn’t know what to do and she sounded so disappointed and sad and I just wanted it to stop!” She mumbles, then starting to sit up and get back up on the couch.

The boy gently pats her on the back. “What are you going to do?”

“Fuck. I have no idea. This is probably gonna make everything worse with my parents. I’m so stupid! And of course they won’t believe me if I say I was lying.”

Zack’s eyes suddenly widen. Oh boy, does he have an idea. He claps his hands once in excitment, a habit he got from Billy, making his friend turn to look at him with an unimpressed expression on her face.

Zack usually has a lot of ideas. Most of them are dangerous or too crazy to be attempted, so Trini doesn’t want to get high expectations.

“What are you thinking?” She asks, knowing his ‘I-know-what-to-do’ face.

He smirks. “You’re not gonna like it.”

“I don’t care if I like it or not as long as it solves this problem you got me in!” Trini yells, impatient. The sooner Zack spills his plan the sooner she’ll stop having to worry about ruining her relationship with her family.

“Hey! You’re the one who lied!”

“Same thing! Just tell me your stupid idea!” She keeps yelling, having clearly lost control of her temper.

Zack raises his eyebrow, offended, “No, it’s not. I’m sorry I teased you in front of your mom but I didn’t make you lie to her.” He never raises his voice.

This always happens when they fight. With everyone else, Trini is usually the calm one, keeping everything under control, while Zack gets riled up more often, but when it’s just the two of them, their dinamics change drastically.

The boy is always patient and tolerant when Trini is having one of her off days and lets it out on him. Then, when she’s calmer, Trini is always sorry and the fights usually end with hugs and apologies.

Trini rarely yells at Zack like that, but this time she could really screw things up if she’s not careful, so this makes things a bit more complicated. She takes a deep breath.

“Fine. I’m sorry I yelled at you, I don’t want to argue and I know this is not your fault, I’m just really overwhelmed.” She vents, frowning.

Her friend glances at her in understanding.

“Yeah, I know. Do you still wanna hear my plan?”

Trini nods.

“Maybe you could just ask Kimberly to pretend to be your girlfriend, you know, around your family.” Zack suggests.

Trini shakes her head in denial. “That would never work.”

“Why not?”

She sighs, “Because Kim is clearly straight and I don’t want to make her uncomfortable just to fix the problem I created with my big mouth.” The girl closes her eyes, picturing her mom looking at her with disappointment all over her face.

“I don’t know about that...” Zack lets out, looking around the living room distractedly.

Trini opens her eyes again, frowning. “What do you mean by that?”

He takes a deep breath, considering his answer.

“I’m not supposed to tell you this...” The chinese boy starts.

Trini shifts in her seat, suddenly interested in his words, “Just tell me, please.”

“Okay.” He agrees, before changing his position too, turning to look at his friend. “Jason told me something the other day. Something about Kim.”

She nods, silently asking him to keep talking.

“From what I was told, they were hanging out like, I don’t know, maybe two weeks ago? Anyway, somehow they started talking about Jason’s ex girlfriend and how she broke up with him to go back to her ex, and apparently Kim was like ‘same, bro, I’ve had one of those-“

“She doesn’t talk like that.”

“Whatever! Can you let me finish, chica?”

Trini goes silent again.

“Where was I? Right, Jason was confused so he asked if she was talking about one of her ex boyfriends, cause he had never heard anything about that and she was the most popular girl at school, everybody would’ve known and talked about it, right?”

The girl nods, still paying close attention to her Zack’s story.

“And apparently Kim told him she used to have a girlfriend. And nobody knew because they were dating in secret since the girl wasn’t ready to come out! And yeah, she dumped Kimberly to go back to her ex, which was what she meant.”

Trini’s eyes widen and her heart starts beating erratically. She says nothing.

“So Jason didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by focusing too much on that, so he just changed the subject and didn’t actually ask her if she’s bi or anything like that. But it’s pretty clear.”

Zack stares at his friend, waiting for a reaction. Then, out of nowhere, Trini punches him in the arm.

“Ouch!”

“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” She questions him, now letting her excitement show.

“Jason asked me to keep a secret! Besides, I didn’t want to out her or anything, even if it was to you.” He mumbles back, rubbing his arm.

“Good reason. Still would’ve been good to know, though.”

Zack sighs, “Yes, I get that. But now you’re going to ask her to be your fake girlfriend and you know what happens next!”

Trini frowns.

“What happens next?”

“You fall in love with each other, duh. That’s a typical fanfiction trope!” He replies, as if it’s the most obvious thing he’s ever said.

The short girl smirks at him, “Do you read fanfiction, Zack?”

“Not the point! The point is, this is gonna be great! And when you girls get married you’re gonna tell everyone how your best friend, Zack Taylor, black power ranger, was the one that got you two together and everyone will cry and thank me for such a beautiful act of kindness and selflessness.”

Zack smiles at his own words, truly believing in them.

“It’s so cute that you think you’re my best friend.” Trini comments, teasingly, “That’s not going to happen but you have a beautiful mind, man.”

He shakes his head, letting out a nice laugh. “I _am_  your best friend. Are you asking Kimberly, though?” Zack bats his eyelashes trying to convince the girl.

Trini takes a deep breath before settling on a response. “Okay, I can do that. But if she says no I’m dressing you up in drag and reintroducing you to my parents as my girlfriend.”

“You know what? Maybe we should do that, I’ve always wanted to try drag! Do you think I'd be Rupaul's Drag Race material?”

The girl giggles, lightly pushing her friend away. “Really? What would your drag name be?”

“Fiona Scarlet.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely asking Kim.”

Zack pouts, “You’re a meanie.”

“Oh, don’t be a drama queen, Fiona.” Trini teases.

“Excuse me, it’s Miss Scarlet to you.” He replies, lifting his chin snobbily.

“Sorry, Miss Scarlet, I didn’t mean to disrespect you.” She grabs his hand and presses a kiss to it.

“Better.”

\---

Trini shifts uncomfortably on her seat, waiting for Kimberly to walk into the classroom. She thinks about all the possibilities that could happen after she asked the girl to pretend to be her girlfriend.

Worst case scenario: Kim would laugh at her, make fun of her in front of everybody, and then stop being friends with her.

Best case scenario: Kim would say yes right away, confess her undying love for Trini, and ask her to be her real girlfriend.

So it’s very possible that the reality might be somewhere between those two scenarios. This calms Trini a little bit. Kimberly is her friend, she wouldn’t be mean to her just because of an innocent question, right?

Trini is so distracted by her worrying that she doesn’t even notice Kim sitting down a few seats in front of her until she hears the girl mumble an excited “hey”.

“uh, hi.” She replies, dumbly.

“You okay?”

“Fine, you just startled me.”

Kim nods in understanding, then offering her friend a kind smile before turning to the front of the class, where the teacher is currently organizing his things while the rest of the students come inside.

Trini considers her options.

She could wait for lunch and ask Kimberly there, but the team would join them and Trini would feel weird and extremely nervous talking about it in front of anyone but Zack.

She could ask her outside, in the hallway, but that makes her feel exposed, with all of the other students walking around, with the possibility of overhearing their conversation, just- no.

Or she could maybe send Kim a text, it would be casual, plus she wouldn’t have to see the look on her face.

Definitely the third option.

But when? Trini looks around the class, noticing how the teacher is still taking attendance. She quickly fishes her phone in her backpack as discreetly as she can. Right now it is.

_“I need your help-”_ She types into the cellphone, then deletes.

_“Would you do me a huge fa-“_ She deletes it again.

_“I got in trouble with my mom. Would you pretend to be my gf and come over for dinner sometime? Explain later.”_  Well, it’s not getting much better than this. She hits send.

Trini waits anxiously to see if Kimberly is gonna check her cellphone. She feels warm as if there was a huge spotlight directly on top of her. Her palms are already clammy.

Kim slightly moves in her seat, and a few moments later, Trini sees she’s got a new message.

_“Sure. Leave your bedroom window open tonight.”_

She lets out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding, and puts her cellphone away, deciding not to reply right now.

Kimberly shifts in her desk and glances at Trini quickly, giving her a small smile, followed by an awkward thumbs up. Trini’s heart races and she looks away, feeling flustered.

_Good God, Trini, control yourself._

Trini knows for sure that if she were a dog, her stupid tail would be wagging.

_Down, girl._

She cringes internally. How embarrassing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She thinks about how great it would feel climbing through Trini’s window and being welcomed inside with a passionate kiss. But that’s not gonna happen. She’s not about to kiss or do couple-y things with Trini. No. She’s coming over so that they can discuss their fake relationship. Focus on the fake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I have no idea how often I'm gonna be able to update from now on but I'll try to keep doing it reasonably quick. Oh, and thank you guys so much for the amazing feedback and kudos! I'm so so happy you guys want to see where this goes!   
> Anyways, here you go.

Kimberly is confused, Trini has been acting just a little bit weirder than usual and she has no idea why. _Oh, God, did she suddenly realise about her growing crush and doesn’t want to reject Kim and make things weird?_

Trini’s message makes Kimberly’s heart jump. Saying yes probably wasn’t a good idea considering her feelings for the other girl, but how could she say no when the alternative meant they’d get to spend time together? Truth is, Kim is just a weak weak bi with a hopeless crush.

She thinks about how great it would feel climbing through Trini’s window and being welcomed inside with a passionate kiss. But that’s not gonna happen. She’s not about to kiss or do couple-y things with Trini. No. She’s coming over so that they can discuss their fake relationship. Focus on the fake.

Kim can already feel how much that is going to fuck her up.

Maybe she shouldn’t have said yes so quickly. What did she just get herself into?

\---

Trini answer her ringing phone. It’s Zack. Of course.

“Hey, Z.” She mumbles into the speaker.

_“Hey, chica! You know exactly why I’m calling.”_

The girl lies down on her bed carelessly, sighing. “Yeah.”

 _“So?”_ Zack questions, his voice filled with curiosity and excitment.

Trini thinks for a moment, maybe she shouldn’t have listened to Zack. Kim might have said yes but that just makes her problems worse. It will probably really mess with her head.

 _“Oh no, did it not go well?”_ He presses, now unsure.

“She said yes.”

_“What? Then how come you sound so whiny?”_

Trini shifts in her bed, trying to find a comfortable position while still holding the phone to her ear but not being very successful.

“I’m not whiny.” She complains, running her hand through her hair.

_“You are. Are you having second thoughts about this?”_

Zack Taylor, one of the few people capable of reading Trini like a book. She doesn’t know how he does it, he just listens to her voice and in less than a minute the boy can pinpoint exactly what’s bothering her.

“You know me, man.”

_“Talk to me, T. Just let it all out. You know I would never judge you, we’re like... bros. Best bros.”_

“Really, Zack? Bros?”

He lets out a nice laugh, _“Come on! Don’t change the subject, crazy girl.”_

“Fine.” She sighs, then Trini tells Zack everything.

How she feels unsure of the whole situation, how she feels her heart clench whenever Kim looks at her and how difficult it’s going to be to have her return her feelings but not really mean it. She tells him how much she feels like an actual angsty teen on a mexican soap opera, how bad she feels to have lied to her mom, how Trini just wants to run away and never come back to deal with her familly or Kim.

And Zack listens. He makes her feel validated and heard. Trini’s been alone for so long she doesn’t even remember ever having someone to talk to and to trust like that. Zack might be a little reckless and maybe a firecracker at times, but he’s Trini’s best friend. She knows she can count on him to help her get back up when she falls down. And that’s why she tells him everything. Because somehow, he found a way to break down her walls and she doesn’t feel as alone anymore.

In the end, he convinces her to give the plan a try. For one, Kimberly has already said yes. Two, there’s no way to escape her mom now. And three, it’s a chance to get closer to Kim.

\---

It’s around 9:30 p.m. when Kimberly climbs through Trini’s bedroom window. She’s wearing jeans and a warm pink shirt. Trini is lying down on her bed, listening to some music with her headphones on. She sits up when the other girl gets inside.

Immediately after first noticing her, Trini wonders if the girl has been wearing pink more often since she became the pink power ranger. Trini for sure has been wearing more yellow.

“Hi, there.” Kimberly greets, slightly fidgeting with the straps of her backpack.

“Hey, Kim.” Trini replies, a nervous smile on her face, “You can sit down if you want...”

Kim does just that, sitting next to the other girl on the bed.

“So, are you gonna tell me what’s going on?”

Trini widens her eyes, “Sorry, what?”

“You know, about the whole trouble with your mom and... the fake girlfriend thing.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, I thought you meant- Nevermind. My mom heard Zack and I talking.” She starts, glancing at the bedroom floor, not wanting to look at Kim. “He was teasing me about, you know, how gay I am, and he wanted to make me embarrassed so he mentioned something about a girlfriend that I don’t have and...” Trini sighs, tired.

“Your mom thought he was for real?”

“Basically. I told her he was joking but she wouldn’t believe me. And then-“ She stops, wondering if she should keep talking. Maybe Kimberly doesn’t care about any of that. Maybe she’s thinking about how boring Trini is being right now.

“Hey...” Kim whispers, softly grabbing Trini’s hand on the bed. “You don’t have to talk about it if you’re not comfortable. Just know I’m here if you want to.”

Trini feels her heart beating on her ears. Kim does care. She sighs once again before continuing.

“She didn’t exactly react very well when I came out. Neither did my dad, for that matter.” Trini offers, and Kimberly lightly squeezes her hand in between hers.

“That’s why we moved last year. I had- I had a girlfriend. They found out, didn’t like it, so we moved out to another fucking city.” She frowns, it doesn’t hurt as much anymore but she can still feel the ghost of the pain she felt at the time.

Kim moves their joined hands to her lap, then starts affectionately running her thumbs over Trini’s knuckles.

“But they’ve been trying to understand. It’s still weird to me and I don’t know how to talk to them but they’re trying. I feel bad sometimes... that I don’t really feel comfortable around them when they’re trying so hard to change. Sometimes I get angry because I don’t think I’ve really forgiven them yet.”

Trini glances back at the floor, but Kim gently puts her hand on her friend’s jaw and turns her face to her. “It’s okay that you feel that way, they really screwed up, you know. They’re your parents, they were supposed to love you and support you unconditionally and they failed to do that when they didn’t accept your sexuality. So it’s okay if you’re not ready to forgive them yet.”

Kim feels like holding Trini and never letting go, never letting anyone ever hurt her again. But all she can do right now is offer her words, so she does. Trini feels a warm tear running down her cheek, and Kim quietly wipes it away with her thumb.

“Like you said, they’re trying to change and to understand you better now, but it’s up to you to decide if they’re too late. Just give yourself time to heal. I feel like you might have been repressing this for a long time.”

Trini nods, then pulls Kimberly in for a tight hug, which catches the girl by surprise. “Thank you, Kim.”

“You’re welcome. I’m here for you, alright? No matter what.”

Trini’s hair smells like green apples, and her body is warm under Kim’s touch. “You still haven’t really gotten to the part of the story that explains how I’m involved in the whole thing, though.” She lets out a low laugh.

Trini lets go of Kim before replying, “Right. Since my mom is supposedly trying to change, she asked me to introduce you to her and dad. Not _you_ you, you _my girlfriend_ , my _fake_ girlfriend.”

Kimberly nods.

“And I couldn’t say no because she wouldn’t believe me. So that’s why I need you to help me.”

“Alright, then. I’ll help you out.” She says, giving Trini’s hands a soft squeeze that makes both girls sligthly blush.

Trini takes a deep breath, trying to ignore how cherished and supported she feels having Kim care for her like that. She wishes she could just woman up and tell her friend how she feels. But she can’t. Not yet, at least.

“Great. Won’t it bother you to pretend to be dating a girl, though? Being straight and all...” Trini throws the bait, just like Zack had suggested.

_Stay calm, Trini._

Kimberly’s heart races and she feels her palms getting sweaty. _This is it, Kim._

“I’m-“ She gulps, nervously. “I’m actually, uh, not straight.”

Trini internally cheers, she feels overcome with joy. If she could, she would jump so high she’d break the ceilling. Outside, she tries to keep her cool.

“Oh? Really? I didn’t know that.”

Kim takes a deep breath, “You never asked, so I never said anything. I hope that doesn’t make you feel like I was hiding it from you or something.”

“No, no, it’s alright. I get it.” She forces herself to look at the window, trying not to stare at Kimberly and let her feelings show.

“I’m sorry, though. I wanted to tell you, I really did. I just didn’t know how to bring it up without being awkward about it.”

Kim curses at herself in her head, she really should have told Trini sooner. Then she might not have looked like a shady bitch right now. Trini would never date someone who hides things from her. And she shouldn’t, really, she deserves better than that. Maybe Kimberly is not good enough for her. After all, she’s just damaged goods.

But then Trini gives Kim’s hand a light squeeze and she can’t help but think that maybe.... Maybe she could work really hard on being better and eventually deserve Trini’s affection.

“You did?”

“Yes. You’re just... I don’t know, intimidating. I was nervous about how you’d react, I guess.”

Trini lets out a laugh, “Intimidating, me? Come on, Kim, I’m a nobody. You were a cheerleader, if anything, I should've been intimidated by you. And I was. Still am, sometimes. Plus, you’ve always known how not straight I am, how did you think I would react?”

Kim shakes her head before responding, “You’re not a nobody! You’re badass, and you exude confidence, there’s this cloud full of fierceness that just follows you around everywhere you go.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you thought so highly of me, Kim, I’m flattered. Look at me, blushing like a loser.”

Kimberly glances at her friend, surprised to see she was indeed blushing. “Well, I do. I admire you, you know. But now I know deep down you’re a big softie.”

Trini smirks teasingly, “You have no idea how wrong you are, girl. I could fuck you up.”

Kim giggles, “Oh, I know you could fuck me up.” A wave of confidence strikes her, “And honestly, I’d let you.” She winks.

Trini starts coughing, her face getting red, “Jesus, Kim, don’t do me like that, you’re killing me.”

“Fine, then. So what does being your fake girlfriend imply?”

She clears her throat, trying to not let it show how crazy fast her heart was beating from hearing Kim flirt so openly with her not a minute earlier.

“Just come over for dinner tomorrow and be your cute self. My parents might speak a lot of spanish but I wouldn't worry about that. Also, maybe hold my hand a bit, if that’s okay?”

“Easy. See? I’m already doing that.” Kim comments, and Trini’s heart leaps when she looks down at the girl’s lap and notices they’ve been holding hands the entire time. She feels her cheeks getting warm.

“You’re good.” Trini looks at her own feet, flustered, and hesitantly releases her friend’s hand.

“I know. Very smooth. I think I might be a natural at this girlfriend thing. Fake girlfriend thing, I meant.” Kimberly mentions. The other girl doesn’t look at her, so she doesn’t get to see how heartbroken Kim’s eyes get when Trini lets go of her hand.

 _How pathetic, did I seriously think for a minute that I had a chance with her? Trini would never see me the way I see her_ , Kim’s thoughts roar at her. Little does she know, Trini was thinking something along those lines as well.

“Yeah, you might be.” Trini whispers back, her heart tightening with longing.

Maybe, if Kimberly and Trini weren’t so busy trying to supress their feelings for each other, they would’ve noticed the other one was trying to do just the same.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini (8:04 a.m.): Told my parents you’ll be coming over today.
> 
> Trini (8:04 a.m.): They looked... excited?
> 
> Trini (8:05 a.m.): My brothers can’t wait to meet you, hope you like kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter was a bitch to write, i'm not gonna lie. I had a hard time with it, and now reading it again to make a few changes I started feeling a little insecure about it, but I decided to post it anyway, cuz my anxiety has been acting up all day so it's probably not that bad and I'm just being hard on myself.  
> There's some spanish in this chapter so at the end notes i'm putting the translations so everyone who might not understand it can check it out. My spanish is... not good, so sorry if it might not be perfect, but i tried really hard.

Trini is about to leave for school when she remembers she still hasn’t told her mom that Kimberly is coming over for dinner that same day. She stops near the door and looks back at the kitchen, where her father is doing the dishes and her mother is still talking to her brothers about something she doesn’t really care about.

“Mamá! I forgot to let you know, my, uh... girlfriend is coming over after school today, is that alright?” She comments, not leaving her spot close to the door.

Her mother looks up at her and lets out a surprised smile. “Oh, that’s great, mija! Will she stay for dinner and meet your papá? You know he gets home late on Tuesdays. You do want to meet the girl, don’t you, Javier?” She glances at the big man awkwardly huddled over the sink.

“Of course, mi amor!” Javier looks at his daughter then, “I would love to meet your- your girlfriend, mija. Please ask her to stay for dinner.” He lets out an odd but still loving smile.

“Ooh, Trini has a girlfriend!” One of her younger brothers, Juan Pablo, teases, a wide smirk on his little face.

“Is she pretty, T?” Diego, her other brother asks, looking up from his book. He'd been trying really hard to pick up english as his second language, but his dyslexia makes it a little tricky for him. Still, the boy was proud of his progress, and so is his family. 

Trini feels her cheeks coloring, “Yes, she is, D. You’ll see.” She sighs, “I gotta go. Bye, guys.”

She closes the door behind her but that doesn’t keep her from hearing her father commenting about her better “communication skills” to her mom. She allows herself to smile.

\---

Kim has been anxious all morning, thinking about Trini, meeting the girl's family, and making a good impression.

_Don’t be stupid, that won’t matter. You’re just her fake girlfriend, she doesn’t really have feelings for you._

She sits down on her desk but keeps glancing at her phone then at the classroom door every twenty seconds, wondering if Trini would walk past the door and smile at her or maybe send her a text. It sucks that they have only one class together.

She’s still staring at the door when Billy sits down next to her, a smile on his face.

“Hey, Kim. Good morning! You look nice today.” He greets, starting to organize his things.

“Hi, Billy. Thank you, you do too, nice shirt you got there.” She replies, not able to keep herself from smiling to her friend.

Kim’s phone vibrates, announcing she’s got a new text message. Nervously, she checks the cellphone, and her heartbeat quickens when she notices the texts are from Trini.

**Trini (8:04 a.m.):** Told my parents you’ll be coming over today.

**Trini (8:04 a.m.):** They looked... excited?

**Trini (8:05 a.m.):** My brothers can’t wait to meet you, hope you like kids.

Kim smiles distractedly while typing a response.

_“Great! I’ll do my best to impress them! Love kids!”_ She sends, not allowing herself to overthink it. A few seconds later, she gets a reply.

**Trini (8:06 a.m.):** See ya later then

Kimberly quickly sends _“See you”_ before before putting away her phone, the teacher walking into the room.

She’s so nervous she can’t even pay attention to class. In a few hours, Kim would be in Trini’s house, meeting her family, being introduced as Trini's girlfriend. She thinks she might pass out just imagining it.

\---

“So, how long should we say we’ve been dating for?” Kimberly anxiously questions, walking with Trini to the girl’s house after school.

Trini thinks for a second, before replying, “A month. Anything longer than that will probably get me in trouble with my mom. Anything less would be suspicious and raise even more questions from her.”

Kim frowns, glancing at the other girl, “So you could say your mother is the one I should be worried about? Is there anything I shouldn’t ever say or do in front of her? What about your dad? Your brothers?”

Trini lets out a soft laugh, noticing how seriously Kimberly is taking this whole thing. “I wouldn’t want to impress mamá too much though, she’ll never stop bugging you if you do.” She trips on a little hole on the floor, but Kim quickly stabilizes her, grabbing her arm.

Trini tries not to show her embarrassment, making such a fool of herself in front of her crush, and keeps talking, “I mean, just make sure you don’t question them and you’ll be fine, they don’t really like it when people call them out on their shit, which is why I do it a lot." She lets out a laughe, "My dad is chill, he just might act a little weird because he’s taking the gay thing a little slower but try not to be offended if says something bad.”

“Oh, and my brothers are alright, I guess. A little embarrassing but they’re just kids, you know, don’t take anything they say too seriously.”

“I can do that.” Kimberly replies right away, before sighing. “Is it lame that I’m kinda nervous?”

Trini smiles, “It’s fine, I promise they’ll love you. Not that it matters anyway.”

“Right.” She looks down, suddenly too aware it was all a lie.

Some minutes later, they approach the house. Trini takes a deep breath before running down a few last warnings to Kimberly.

“You can still leave, they haven’t seen you yet. I won’t be mad.” The short girl comments, wanting to make sure her friend was completely okay with what they were about to do.

Kim shakes her head, dismissively. She clears her throat, runs her fingers through her hair, and then softly grabs a hold of Trini’s hand and gives it a warm squeeze. “I’m alright, let’s do this.”

Trini nods before unlocking the door with her keys and motioning for Kim to come in.

She locks the door again after entering, then taking another deep breath and glancing at her friend, unsure. Kimberly gives her a confident nod.

Here we go.

“Mamá? I’m home!” Trini yells. Kim looks around, trying not to let her nervousness show.

A few seconds later, they hear quick steps coming closer, followed by Juan Pablo and Diego suddenly engulfing Trini in a group hug. Kimberly smiles at the scene.

A short woman suddenly appears in the living room, a sharp look on her face as she gets closer to everyone.

“Diego, Juan Pablo, let your sister breathe.” She says, her voice strong and decisive. The boys do as told right away. Kim watches, impressed by how a simple sentence from the woman can have such an effect on the twin boys.

“T, is that your girlfriend?” Juan Pablo asks, teasingly, pointing at Kimberly, who feels her cheeks getting red.

Diego, next to him, lets out a soft giggle, “Ella es guapa!”, he whispers to his brother, getting a quick nod in response.

“You can ask Trini all your questions later, boys, go play in your room.” Anita interrupts the twins, getting frowns from them, “Vamos niños, rápido!” She offers them a soft smile, and soon enough, Juan Pablo and Diego are running up the stairs.

“Sin correr!” She yells, but this time, they ignore her order, and keep running until they’re out of view.

Trini, realising Kim and her were gonna be her mom’s focus next, quickly grabs the girl’s hand, anxiety running through her veins, and gets a soft squeeze in return.

Anita turns back to the girls, her face expressionless again.

“Is this her?” She questions, and Trini nods. “I’m Anita, Trini’s mamá, and you are?” She glances at Kim, and the girls’ joined hands.

“I’m Kimberly, nice to meet you.” She smiles at the woman, her heart racing and her palms starting to sweat.

Anita faintly smiles back, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes, and the woman doesn’t offer to shake the girl’s hand. “Javier is still at work, but he’ll meet you later at dinner.”

Kim nods nervously, the smile still on her face, now slightly forced.

“Keep your bedroom door open, mija.” She orders, starting to walk away. Trini rolls her eyes and pulls Kim up the stairs by the hand.

\---

“Ok, what was that?” Kimberly questions, looking at her friend, who throws her backpack on the bed.

“My mom.” She replies, a harsh tone to her voice.

Kim gently puts her backpack next to Trini’s, then sits down on the bed and glances back at her, worriedly. The short girl walks in circles around her bedroom, clearly in distress.

“Trini...”

She doesn’t even stop what she’s doing, her hands running through her hair in annoyance.

“Hey, T...”

Nothing.

“Trini, stop.” She gets up quickly and grabs the girl by the shoulders. “Look at me.”

Trini glances at the floor, avoiding Kimberly's eyes. “Look at me, Trini, please.” Kim gently puts a hand on her friend’s jaw. “Come on, let me in. What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, huh?” Her voice is soft and understanding, but still covered in worry.

“Did you see how cold she was to you?” Trini mumbles, a frown on her face. “She shouldn’t have treated you like that, who does she think she is, the fucking pope?”

It’s clear Trini is upset. Kim wishes she could make everything better for her, but deep down she knows there's not a lot she could do.

“I don’t care how she treats me, Trin. I care about you. Are _you_ alright?”

Trini sighs, finally looking into Kim’s eyes. “I just- I don’t know.”

Kimberly quietly pulls the girl in for a hug, her hand then gently rubbing Trini’s back in reassurance. “I’m here, okay? You’re not alone, I’m not going anywhere as long as you want me around.”

Kim can’t help but think about how tense things seem to be between Anita and Trini. The woman didn’t even give her daughter a proper hello or a hug, a kiss, anything. She wonders if it was always like that or if it started when Trini came out. Kimberly is suddenly so glad for Trini’s brothers, they were so affectionate towards the girl, it makes her heart warm. She hopes Trini’s father is different than her mom, the woman’s behavior clearly affected her friend and she wouldn’t like to see Trini getting even more disappointed.

\---

The girls are sharing Trini’s earphones, listening to some music while lying down on the bed, when someone knocks on the slightly opened wooden door.

“What?” Trini responds, slowly sitting up and stopping the music.

“Can we come in?” It’s Juan Pablo’s voice. The girl’s features soften right away.

“Of course, JP.”

Kim sits up as well, taking the earphone off.

The twin boys walk inside, looking a little shy.

“What’s up, guys?” She asks, noticing their unusual behavior. “Did you want anything?”

Diego quickly walks up to his sister, then whispering in her ear “Tu novia es muy hermosa.” Trini lets out a booming laugh, “Yes, she is. I told you so.” She replies, teasingly, messing the boy's hair.

“Are you guys talking about me?” Kim questions, a smile on her face.

“No!” Diego denies, as Trini says “Yep.”

“My brothers seem to think you’re very pretty, Kim.”

Kimberly’s smile widen even more. “Oh, really? That’s so kind of them!” She looks at the boys, addressing them, “Hi, guys, I’m Kimberly. But everybody calls me Kim, so you can call me that if you want.”

They don’t say anything back. “Come on, guys, I promise she’s nice! You can talk to her!”

Juan Pablo hesitates for a second, but then offers Kim his hand, “Hola, Kim. I’m Juan Pablo. Nice to meet you.”

Kimberly shakes the boy’s hand, “Nice to meet you too, Juan Pablo. You have a nice name.” He smiles in thanks. Kim glances expectantly at the other boy, who hides behind his twin brother.

“Diego is still learning English, he's dyslexic. He can understand it fine, but he's self-conscious about his pronunciation, even though we all think he's great. He likes to speak spanish when he’s home, it makes him more comfortable.” Trini comments, then takes her little brother’s hand. “Kim no hablas español pero yo puedo traducir para ella. ¿Qué quieres decirla? You can tell me if you want but I promise you can talk to her. Ella es muy amable.”

Kim smiles at how kind and soft Trini is with her brother. She barely understands what she tells him since she was never too good at Spanish, but she bets she’s saying something nice. Kimberly makes a mental note to try to learn more Spanish.

Diego seems to think about it for a while, then looks shyly at Kimberly, “Hola, me llamo Diego.” He says.

“Hola, Diego. Me llamo Kim. Nice to meet you.” She replies, hoping she didn’t sound too bad. Kim gently smiles at the boy, and he hesitantly smiles back.

Trini’s heart skips a beat, it makes her so happy to see her brothers and Kim interacting, and how Diego actually talked to the girl even though he feels nervous around strangers.

“What did you want to say earlier?” She asks her little brothers.

“How did you get Kim to be your girlfriend? You’re weird, and she’s so nice and pretty.” Juan Pablo comments, smirking.

Kim lets out a laugh, which makes Trini lightly elbow her ribs, “So you’re saying I’m not nice and pretty?”

“I’m tú hermano, T, I’m not supposed to think you’re nice or pretty. I mean, maybe Diego, cause he’s a softy, but not me.”

“Fair enough. You wanna take that, Kim? How did I get you to be my girlfriend, since I’m apparently soooo weird?”

Kimberly smirks, then casually hugging Trini from the side. “Some people like weird girls, Juan Pablo. And I happen to think your sister is _very_ nice and pretty.”

Trini blushes, which draws a soft giggle from Diego. Juan Pablo, on the other hand, looks completely blown away by Kim’s response, as if he hadn’t known anyone could actually like "weird" girls.

“Diego, do you agree with me? Trini es muy... nice, isn’t she? And... bonita, no?” Kim adds, trying to include the other boy in the conversation.

Trini feels like her heart is about to burst, she never would have imagined Kim would try to speak Spanish, trying to make her little brother comfortable. It makes her like the other girl even more.

Diego nods, “Trini es mi mejor amiga.” He comments, feeling a little more at ease around Kimberly.

“Oh, really? That’s so cute! Can I be... su amiga... también?” Kim replies, trying to remember every little bit of Spanish she could.

“Yes.” Diego mumbles back, nodding, a tiny smile on his face.

Trini is so happy she presses a warm kiss to Kim’s cheek, then whispers a sweet “Thank you” in the girl’s ear. Kimberly smiles, her face a little red, surprised from the random act of affection.

\---

“So, …Kimberly, how did you meet Trini?” Anita questions, while cutting her steak, not really looking at the girl she was addressing.

Dinner started a few minutes ago, but had been mostly silent until the woman started talking. Javier still hasn’t arrived from work, so his seat is empty. Diego and Juan Pablo are seated across from Trini and Kim, while Anita had decided to sit where her daughter usually sat.

“We have biology class together.” Kim replies, not exactly telling the truth but not completely lying either.

“I see. How long have you two been... dating?”

Juan Pablo snickers from his seat, finding it very funny that his sister is in a relationship with someone. Little did he know.

“A month.” Kim, once again answers, noticing Trini still wasn’t feeling very comfortable around her mother after earlier.

“Are you just going to pretend you’re not here, Trini?” Anita raises her voice, all too aware of her daughter’s silence.

Kim is trying to come up with a way to take the heat and stop her friend from becoming her mother’s target, when a tall man suddenly walks into the dining room.

“Everything okay here?” He questions, confused by the situation. Javier presses a quick kiss to his wife’s head, then does the same to every single one of his kids, before shaking Kimberly’s hand and sitting down on his place.

“I’m Javier, you must be my daughter’s... uh... girlfriend.” He comments, starting to put food on his plate.

“I am. My name is Kimberly. Nice to meet you, señor.”

“Nice to meet you too.” He then glances at his daughter with a small smile on his face, “She’s guapa, mija. And polite. Good job.”

Trini awkwardly laughs, her face reddening. She didn't expect her father to be so comfortable with the entire situation, so she's pleasantly surprised.

“So, did I interrupt anything? Mi amor, you were saying something...?”

The house phone starts ringing, which makes Anita jump out of her seat to answer it.

“¿Anita, qué estás haciendo? No respondemos el teléfono durante la cena.” Javier contests, intrigued by his wife’s action. No one answered the phone during meals, that was a rule in their house, but Anita, who usually defended the rule so hard, was now completely ignoring it? That didn’t seem good.

“Javier, not now.” She dismissed him, leaving the table.

Kim looked around, awkwardly. What was going on? Trini looked like she was about to break her plate in half and throw the food everywhere. Kimberly discreetly squeezed the girl’s knee in support, which got her an odd look from her.

_Do you even know what’s going on? This means things are a lot worse than I thought._

“I’m sorry, Kim.” Juan Pablo mumbles, noticing the tense air.

“It’s alright, Juan Pablo.” She replies, picking at her food nervously.

“No, it’s not!” Trini suddenly roars, letting go of the cutlery. She looks straight at her father, “My mom is being extremely inconsiderate, papá! She’s been nothing but cold to my girlfriend all day! She asked me to bring Kim over for dinner and now she acts like that? What’s going on? Do you know something I don’t?”

Javier sighs, “Lo siento, mija. I know this is making you upset, but por favor, don’t yell at the table. I’ll go talk to her.” He gets up from his seat, not even having started eating. The man glances at his daughter’s “girlfriend”, “Please, forgive my wife’s antics, Kimberly. She’s not usually this impolite.”

And with that, he leaves, presumably to talk to his wife.

Trini sighs tiredly, her food forgotten. Things were going so great with her dad, why did her mom have to ruin everything?

Kim gently squeezes Trini's knee, then pressing a soft kiss to her temple. She tenses at first, but then relaxes at her friend’s touch.

“This is not really about me, right? It’s about your mom still not being accepting of you.”

Trini nods. 

“Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

“Just- hold me, I need something to keep me grounded right now.” She mumbles, hiding her face on the girl’s shoulder, who then wraps her arms around her body. Diego gets up from his seat and walks towards his sister, joining the girls’ hug. Quickly, Juan Pablo runs to do the same.

"Don't tell our friends about this." She adds, Kim's body warmth, along with her brothers', helps her mind stay in the present, appreciating the small moment of tenderness she's in. Things might get even worse with her mother, but all Trini focuses on is how loved she feels being held by the people she loves so much.

"I won't." Kimberly reassures her. She slowly takes a deep breath and promises herself she'll always have Trini's back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ella es guapa: she's pretty;  
> Vamos niños, rápido: Come on boys, quick;  
> Sin correr: no running;  
> Tu novia es muy hermosa: your girlfriend is very beautiful;  
> Kim no hablas español pero yo puedo traducir para ella: Kim doesn't speak Spanish, but I can translate it for her;  
> ¿Qué quieres decirla?: What do you want to tell her?;  
> Ella es muy amable: she's very friendly;  
> tú hermano: your brother;  
> Trini es mi mejor amiga: Trini is my best friend;  
> ¿Anita, qué estás haciendo?: Anita, what are you doing?;  
> Lo siento: i'm sorry;
> 
> Jesus, I haven't written so much Spanish since high school. 
> 
> The ending might feel a little ooc for Trini but I think she could be very physical -and might even come off as needy- when she's feeling vulnerable. I hope that doesn't bother you guys too much.
> 
> If you guys need me i'll be on the floor trying to recover from how anxious I feel. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You mean you couldn’t have talked to papá, who already knew because I actually told him with my words instead of just outing me to another family member who now probably hates me too?” Trini’s voice starts getting louder, but cracks a little by the end of the sentence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Reading it again I realised I focused way too much on dialogue in the beggining but I'll do a better job next time, I promise. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for the support and the great comments and kudos, you guys are too good to me. I hope you know that this fanfic wouldn't even exist if it weren't for you all, so yeah, thank you. Let's go!

About five minutes after having left the table, Anita and Javier walk back inside the dining room. Juan Pablo and Diego, who had been holding their beloved sister and comforting her, quickly make their way back to their seats. Kimberly slowly lets go of Trini, who straightens herself on the chair.

The girl’s parents sit back down on their places, and Javier starts eating his meal in silence. Anita, on the other hand, clears her throat and glances at her daughter and Kimberly.

“I’m sorry about that, it was an important call I had been waiting for.” She starts.

“I thought we didn’t answer the phone during meals no matter how important the calls were…” Trini talks back under her breath.

“That’s fair. But talk back at me again and you know what will happen, young lady.”

Her daughter rolls her eyes. Javier is the only one eating, the others having lost their appetite after the whole ordeal.

“So, Kimberly, do you have plans for the weekend?” Anita questions.

Trini frowns, not sure where she’s going with this. Something must be going on.

“Not really, I was just gonna watch tv and sleep in. Why?” Kim responds, also a little confused.

“Well, we’re going to visit abuela and I thought maybe you should come.”

“Why? For us to pretend we’re just friends so that abuelita doesn’t have a heart attack? Also, I’m not sure you noticed this, but you’ve been antagonizing Kim and I the entire day. Besides, I’m sure she doesn’t want to come.” Trini interrupts, starting to play with her food with the fork.

Anita takes a deep breath, which means shit is probably about to go down.

“Your abuela already knows about Kimberly.”

Trini looks up at her mother so fast she’s surprised she doesn’t get whiplash. “What?”

“I told abuelita.” Anita replies, not backing down, and not really getting what she did wrong.

“I’m sorry, for a second there I thought I heard you say you told abuela about my sexuality without my permission. Crazy, right?”

Kimberly shifts awkwardly on her seat, not sure if she should do something to stop the fight that was probably about to start (again).

“You heard right. Maybe I should have asked you first but… honestly, I didn’t know who else to talk to.”

“You mean you couldn’t have talked to papá, who already knew because I actually told him with my words instead of just outing me to another family member who now probably hates me too?” Trini’s voice starts getting louder, but cracks a little by the end of the sentence.

“Boys, you should go to your room. Your sister needs to have a talk with mamá.” Javier comments, and the twins hesitantly get up and leave, but not before giving their sister a kiss on the cheek.

“Maybe you should go, Kimberly. These two really need to talk.” He suggests, his glance jumping between everybody still seated at the table.

“She’s not going anywhere, dad.” Trini blurts out, but then guiltily looks at her father, after all, the man was just trying to help, “Please, papá, I really want Kim to stay.”

The man sighs, “Alright, mija, Kim can stay. Do you want me here as well or should I go? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Javier replies, ready to get up.

“Stay.”

He nods, sitting back down.

Anita, who had been staring silently at her plate all this time, looks at Trini, “Your abuelita doesn’t hate you. Neither do I, or your father. I realize now that I should have talked to you about it before telling her, but I can’t change what’s already happened. At first, she didn’t react well, I’ll admit it. Neither did I, you know that. She hung up on me. But then, just a few minutes ago, that was her on the phone, Trini.”

“She said she’s been reading up on it, and that she loves you no matter what. Then I told her about your… girlfriend, because I figured it wouldn’t hurt, which is why I asked Kimberly about her plans for the weekend. Your abuela asked me to invite her to come. She wants to meet her, mija. And she wants to tell you how proud she is of you.” She sighs, “So I’m sorry, but I don’t regret what I did, because it ended very well. I might still be learning how to deal with your new reality, but you have to believe me, I’m trying to change how I see this.”

Trini is silent for a minute, not knowing how to respond to that. Kimberly grabs her hand on the table and gives it a supportive squeeze, happy things turned out a lot better than she was first expecting. Javier glances at the action, then smiles when he sees how relaxed his daughter gets with the simple touch.

“I- I…” Trini starts, but then looks at Kim before continuing, “Would you like to meet my abuela?” The short girl’s eyes are tearful and it looks like she’s making a lot of effort not to let herself cry. In that moment, it almost feels like they’re not faking anything anymore.

“I would love to, but is that something you want? You know what matters to me is that you’re comfortable, so if you don’t want me there because maybe you might need a little more time then I won’t go.” Kim replies, softly.

Trini nods, still trying not to cry. “Please, come.” She mumbles, uncomfortable to be that vulnerable in front of her parents.

“Okay, then.” She gently puts a lock of Trini’s hair behind the girl’s ear, and that’s what completely shatters her, that care, that warmth. That’s when Kim destroys the last bit of the wall that was still around Trini, tears running freely down the latina’s face.

Feeling Trini wouldn’t want her parents to see her like that, Kim softly pulls the girl into her for a hug. Then, with her friend still in her arms, she glances at Anita, who surprisingly, is also crying. “I’m definitely going with you guys to abuela’s.”

Anita nods in response. Javier, on the other side of the table, allows himself to smile, after silently wiping his tears away. He’s so proud of his daughter.

\---

“So, that was… something.” Trini comments, walking Kim outside. She opens the door and closes it behind herself after the girls step out of the house.

“It sure was.”

Trini stares adoringly at Kimberly, “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to-“

“I do. I really do. You didn’t have to stay, but you did. You didn’t have to agree to meet my abuelita, and yet… It really means a lot to me to have you there. You might not be really my girlfriend but you’re one of my closest friends, Kim. Your support means the world to me, I hope you know that, even though I don’t really show it a lot.” Trini interrupts her, holding Kim’s hands on hers.

Kimberly smiles, a light blush on her cheeks. “I feel the same way, T. I’m so glad you trust me enough to share this part of you with me. I know how hard this must be for you.”

“Yeah, I, uh… I trust you a lot.” Trini replies, her glance accidentally falling to the girl’s lips for a moment before going back to her eyes.

“Well, I trust you too, Trini.” Kim, caught up in the moment, slowly starts leaning in, but a second later, seems to realise what she’s doing, not noticing how Trini was leaning in too and how close the two were getting, and breaks the spell. “I should go.”

“Yeah, it’s late.” Trini hesitates before continuing, “Do you want me to drive you home?”

Kim gently smiles at her, “It’s okay, I like the walk, it helps me clear my head.”

Trini nods. “Goodnight, Kim. Don’t get used to me being all mushy and lame, today has just been very emotional to me.”

“Yeah, I know. Goodnight, T.” Kimberly presses a soft kiss to Trini’s cheek, then turns around to leave. “See you tomorrow.”

Trini stays frozen in place, a smile on her blushing face, until Kim is out of eyesight.

\---

“It’s 10 p.m., you better have a good reason to be calling me right now, crazy girl.” Is how Zack answers his phone.

Trini lies down gently on her bed, a sigh accidentally coming out of her. “Kim and I almost kissed, Z.” She casually comments, a wide grin on her face.

A loud bang from the other side of the line lets Trini know Zack must have dropped or hit something.

“Did you just say you and Kim almost kissed or was that part of my imagination?” He questions, not mentioning anything about the bang.

“I did say that.”

The boy waits a few seconds to reply, probably jumping around on his room, happy his plan was working.

“Tell me everything! How did it go? Did your parents like her? Don’t leave any details out.”

After letting out a laugh, Trini starts telling Zack all about her day with Kimberly, and the rollercoaster of emotions her parents got her in.

\---

“Hey… Jason… Wake up.”

Kim pokes the boy in the arm, then starting to shake him awake. Jason jumps up, knocking his forehead on Kim’s chin, which makes both teens moan in pain.

“What the hell? Kim? What are you doing here? It’s late!” He comments, rubbing his forehead.

“Sorry! I just really needed to talk. I can go, though.” She replies, turning around to get back out.

Jason quickly sits up, now worried, “No, no, wait! It’s fine, what’s wrong?”

Kimberly sighs, not sure where to start, and sits down next to her friend on the bed.

“That bad, huh?”

She shakes her head, “No, it’s just- I don’t know how to explain, really.”

“Well, I can’t really help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on. We’re friends, Kim. I don’t care if it doesn’t make sense, I just want to help.”

Kim takes a deep breath, closing her eyes tightly, “I think I have feelings for Trini.”

Jason widens his eyes, surprised at the confession, “Oh? That’s… that’s great!” Then he looks back at her and sees how conflicted she seems, “Right? Or is that a bad thing?”

“I don’t know, Jason. I’m going with her family to meet her grandmother on the weekend-“

“That sounds okay.” He interrupts her.

“As her girlfriend. But we’re not really dating. She just asked me to pretend to be her girlfriend because her mom was being difficult.”

“Oh.”

Kim runs her fingers through her locks, “Yeah.”

Jason grabs Kimberly’s free hand in support, “But is that really that bad? I mean, she asked _you_ , she could’ve asked any other girl, that has to mean something, right?”

So Kim shares her insecurities with her friend. She tells him how she thinks Trini deserves someone better, which is replied with a very inspiring speech about how there’s nobody who could be better for Trini than her.

Then Kimberly explains how she almost kissed Trini earlier but got too scared and backed out, running away like a coward. And Jason tells her how there will be a thousand more chances for them to kiss, and that it will happen when they’re ready.

It’s weird that back when they first met, Kim had considered what it would be like if her and Jason dated, and now, look at them, talking about Kimberly’s crush on Trini. Who would have guessed that this would ever happen? Jason Scott, a friend she confides in? The world sure does go round.

They end up talking until three in the morning, Kim then leaving the same way she came in. The girl had promised Jason she would come to him if she ever doubted herself like that again, and Kim plans on honoring that promise if needed.

\---

The following day, Trini decides to come over to Jason’s house after school, to let him know she -and Kimberly- would have to miss training in the weekend. She would have talked to him during lunch, but she’d been so busy working on a chemistry project with Billy, that they ended not having lunch at all.

Flashes from the day before keep distracting Trini and making it hard for her to focus. Kimberly in her house, in her bedroom. Kimberly with her brothers, speaking Spanish to Diego, and teasing her with Juan Pablo. Kimberly holding her in the dining room, softly squeezing her hand, kissing her temple. Trini’s heart feels so warm in her chest, remembering how they had almost kissed.

The bell startles her out of her memories, signaling the end of the school day, and Trini quickly gathers her things, trying not to think about how she didn’t get to see Kim since last night when the girl left her frozen on the front lawn after kissing her on the cheek.

\---

Trini impatiently knocks on Jason’s window, dangling herself from a tree.

“Kim? Is that you again?” He mumbles, confused, before opening the curtains and finding Trini. “You do know I have a front door, right?”

“Power Rangers don’t use doors.” Trini replies, getting inside the boy’s bedroom. “Was Kim here?” She asks, trying not to sound jealous.

Jason looks uncomfortable, not sure what to answer. “She- hm, not lately, it’s- uh, it’s just that she’s usually the one who… keeps coming through my window.” He scratches his head, looking away from his friend.

“Oh, really?” She questions, unconvinced. “Weird, cause your room kinda smells like her.” She frowns, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“You know Kim’s perfume?” Jason asks, trying to change the subject.

“Her deodorant, actually. Because you know, she’s allergic to perfume...” Trini replies, clearly salty. “But that’s not what we were talking about, was it?”

Jason nervously runs his fingers through his short hair, still trying to find a way out of the conversation. “I didn’t know that, did she tell you she’s allergic?”

“No, I just noticed how her nose itches whenever she’s around Zack.” She rolls her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her words. “Of course she told me, dumbass. But her nose does itch around Z. You know how strong his cologne is -weren’t you the one who gave that crap to him on his birthday?”

Trini frowns, noticing she’s being successfully distracted, “Why are you changing the subject, homeboy? Be straight with me, man, what are you hiding? Are you and Kim, like, a thing?” She suddenly gets insecure and feels extremely inadequate, what was she even doing? It’s not like she and Kimberly were really dating.

“No! I swear there’s nothing between Kimberly and I.” He sighs, “You know what, sit down.”

Trini stares at him, disdainfully.

“Come on, take a seat, Trini, please.”

She hesitantly does as asked, sitting down on Jason’s bed.

“Kim was here last night, and we talked, that’s all there is to it. When we were done, she left. I swear to you we didn’t do anything like that. We’re just friends.” The boy explains, hoping it would be enough to convince Trini of the truth.

“Why did you lie, then?”

He sighs, clearly tired, “Because I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea, okay?”

Trini frowns, still not entirely convinced. “And why should I believe you? You know I could just ask Kim, right?”

Jason sits down next to his friend on the bed, giving up. “Listen, I know, alright? And you can ask her if you don’t believe me.” He takes a deep breath, “I know you like Kim, and I know she’s pretending to be your girlfriend. I figured you’d, like I said, get the wrong idea if I just told you she was here last night, and I didn’t want to ruin things for you and her.”

The bedroom is quiet for a minute. Until Trini starts freaking out.

“Wait, did she tell you I like her? Does she know? Did she come here to make fun of me, is that it?” Trini gets up, anxiously walking around the room.

“No! Kim would never make fun of you! And neither would I! She doesn’t know anything, okay?” He sighs, “Look, have you ever considered that Kim might like you back? We didn’t talk shit about you, I promise. You’re our friend, Trini. Now can you stop walking for a second and look at me? It’s unsettling.”

Trini glances at Jason, her expression softening. Her heart suddenly starts beating fast as she considers her friend’s words.

“Do you- do _you_ think she might like me back, Jason?”

Jason thinks about his answer. He can’t tell Trini he _knows_ Kim likes her, but he might be able to help the girls out a little bit.

“Can I be honest with you, T?” She nods, “Kim talks about you all the time. Not badly, like you were implying, no, she just- she kind of gushes about you, you know? Like, I genuinely think you have a chance, trust me.”

Trini feels her cheeks getting warm, “Are you for real?”

“I am, I promise.”

Then, without warning, Trini throws herself at Jason, pulling him in for a tight hug, “Thank you, J. Thank you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... next chapter we're gonna learn a few things about Kim, get ready :)
> 
> PS: apparently I have to end all chapters with Trini hugging someone lol it's projection, guys, I really need a hug


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini sighs in fake annoyance, then surprising Kim by lying down on the bed with her head on the girl’s lap. Kim lets out a small smile and gently runs her hand through Trini’s hair.
> 
> “So for starters, what are your thoughts on pda?” She asks, still playing with her friend’s thick locks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be tricked by this chapter's summary, this has a bunch of angst. 
> 
> For starters, writing this I realised this fanfic is probably gonna be longer than I was planning at first.
> 
> So, I promised you guys were going to learn a few things about Kim in this chapter, but it ended up being so long and, well, more complex than I first planned to go with this storyline and things got crazy so this is just an intro to chapter 6, I think. So basically, a filler. A giant filler. Sorry if you guys don't like that.

With a smash, Trini’s back collides with the pit’s dusty floor as she lets out a low groan, her body aching everywhere. Zack smirks, offering his friend a hand.

“You’re distracted today, T.” He observes, not an ounce of doubt in his voice. “I wonder if it has anything to do with a certain pink power ranger.”

Trini slaps the boy’s hand away, and gets up without his help.

“Shut up.” She mumbles, looking around to check if anyone had come in and heard Zack’s stupid comment.

The pit was empty apart from Zack and Trini, who were the only one’s training. Billy had been doing some research with Alpha’s help when they arrived and said he would join them when he was done. The two friends had invited Jason to come but he’d told them he’d swing by a little later. Kim, on the other hand, still hasn’t answered their texts.

“You wanna tell me what happened?” Zack questions, throwing a few punches on Trini’s direction, but not managing to hit her.

“What are you talking about?” She responds, tripping the boy, who immediately loses his smirk. “Who’s distracted now?” Trini teases.

“Come on, Trini! We’re supposed to be best bros.” He complains, jumping up with ease.

A noise suddenly captures the girl’s attention. “Did you hear that?”

“What, dude? I didn’t hear anything.”

“I’ll be right back, wait here.”

Trini jogs towards where she thinks is the source of the sound, quickly leaving Zack behind.

“Come back, crazy girl!” His voice booms out, getting ignored. “Whatever, then… I’ll just be here… punching putties alone and trying not to cry…”

Trini ends up in a part of the ship that they never use, various doors leading to what the rangers call “odd alien bedrooms”. Nothing looks a lot different there, so she frowns, about to turn around and go back to the pit, but then one of the doors open and Kimberly walks out.

“Kim?” The pink Power Ranger jumps, clearly not having expected anyone to catch her. “What are you doing?”

Kimberly looks like a deer caught in the headlights, “Oh! Hi, Trini! I- Nothing! Nothing at all!”

Trini takes a second to study her friend, who looks vaguely like she’s wearing pajamas. Her hair is a little messy, which makes Trini’s heart skip a beat. But she focuses on ignoring that in favor of getting to a conclusion.

“Wait. Did you spend the night here?”

“N-no!” Kim stutters, clearly not that great of a liar, “Of course not- why would I even-“ Trini raises an eyebrow, waiting to see how far her friend was willing to go, “shit- fine, I did.” She sighs.

Trini walks towards the girl, now very confused. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Give me a minute.” Kim gets back inside the door she came out of, but a second later, she’s back out, a backpack on her shoulder. She takes a deep breath before replying, “I spend the night here sometimes.”

Trini stares at her, as if waiting for Kimberly to continue.

“My parents have been arguing a lot. I just needed to be away from them for a bit.” She looks down, embarrassed.

Trini suddenly engulfs her in a warm hug, which makes Kim’s stomach fill with butterflies, catching her off guard. She feels special, being allowed to see such a different side of her friend. Soft and cuddly Trini is her favorite so far. “You can stay at my place next time.”

“Are you sure? Won’t your parents like, not love that?”

“They don’t have to know.” She slowly lets go of Kimberly, but stays near her. “Do you want to talk about it? You know, your parents?”

Kim frowns, “Not really. I was just about to go home.” She takes a step away from Trini.

“Oh. Okay, then. Do you want me to come with you?” The short girl suggests, unsure but still trying to sound confident.

Kimberly thinks about it. It wouldn’t be bad to have Trini around for a while, but having the girl at her house also meant she’d probably ask questions and Kim isn't sure she wants to tell her friend what was going on. But Trini had been so open with her, it would be only fair that Kim did the same.

“I wouldn’t want to keep you from your training…”

Trini gently grabs Kimberly’s hand. “I think I trained enough for today. Besides, I like spending time with you. Come on, I promise I’ll be a good girl.” _God, can you be more pathetic? You’re basically throwing yourself at Kim’s arms, what a mess. Feelings are so disgusting._

Kim feels her cheeks getting warm, and her heart skips a beat. The butterflies are back again in full force and she can’t help but give Trini’s hand a soft squeeze. “Okay.”

\---

“How’s everything with your parents? You know, since that day I came over.” Kim starts, still feeling a little nervous and not wanting to give Trini time to ask anything. She kicks a small rock, looking straight ahead.

Trini presses her lips together in a tight line, not answering right away. She feels like Kim only asked the question to avoid being the focus of the conversation.

“It’s okay, I guess. I mean, we haven’t moved yet, so that might be a good sign, right?” She tries to joke, but her friend doesn’t really laugh.

“Right.”

They’re quiet for the next few minutes, and differently from other times, the silence is almost deafening, tension obvious and in the air.

“Look, I don’t care if you don’t want to tell me what’s going on, alright?” Trini comments, glancing at Kim, who’s walking next to her. “But don’t shut me out.” She looks at the horizon, the sun still barely up.

Kimberly bites her lower lip, deep in thought, but doesn’t say anything.

Trini gently bumps her shoulder into her friend’s, “Come on, you’re the quiet one now?” She lets out a laugh, still a little uncomfortable, and Kim joins in for a second before going silent again. “You know I appreciate a good silence, but this is just wrong.” She continues, before letting out a frustrated sigh, “Just tell me one thing, do you not want to talk at all or is it just me you don’t want to talk to?”

Kimberly stops walking, feeling guilty. She never meant for Trini to think she was the problem. “It’s not you, I promise.” She breathes, her friend then stopping as well and turning around to look at her.

“Ok, then. I’ll stop bothering you, but I need to say something first.” Trini replies, then getting close to Kim and putting her hand on the girl’s arm. “That day in my house, you really saw me. Like, I don’t show that to a lot of people, but I showed it to you. I let myself be vulnerable around you.” She looks away from her friend, letting her hand drop, “That makes me feel like I’m about to throw up. I hate this feeling.”

She takes a deep breath before continuing, her glance going back to Kim, “I know it’s scary, but you can let me in too. I promise you don’t have to worry about me seeing you differently or anything. Sometimes we need someone to help us keep going, and that’s okay. You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, not alone.”

A single tear rolls down Kim's cheek. Trini wipes it away with her thumb, and keeps her hand on the girl’s jaw, holding it softly. “I’m here for you. I’m not much, I know, but I would love to see you too, if you let me.” She lets go, then looking down at the floor beneath their feet.

“Come on, let’s keep going.” Trini finishes, turning around to start walking again, but Kim’s hand is suddenly grabbing hers and the girl is throwing her arms around her in a hug. Trini hugs her back, and tears are wetting the short girl’s shirt, but she doesn’t mind one bit.

All that matters is that Kim is starting to let herself be seen.

\---

 Kimberly is not completely sure if she’s ready to let Trini know her for who she really is, but that won’t stop her from trying her best to be as open as possible, after all, the girl had made some pretty good points. Truth is, Kim was indeed worried Trini would look at her differently. It’s not that she’s ashamed of herself or anything, it’s that she doesn’t want her friend to look at her with pity. 

When they finally arrive at Kim’s house, the girl’s heart races. _This is it_ , she tells herself, _there’s no escaping it now._

“Do you want to come in?” She asks Trini, sweat starting to form on her palms.

“I mean, I thought it was obvious I was going to get in through your bedroom window.”

Kim gives her friend a pointed look.

“Yes, I do.” Trini clarifies, an annoyed expression on her face at being forced to use the front door.

“My parents are probably still at work, but if they’re around, just ignore them.”

“You’re the boss.”

Kimberly hesitantly unlocks the door, then puts her head inside the house to check for her parents. Noticing the coast was clear, she walks in and gives Trini a nod for the girl to follow her in.

Trini tries not to look like a fish out of water in the enormous house, so she just puts her mind to work on one single mission: following Kim to the girl’s bedroom and staying there until she either had to:

  1. Go home
  2. Pee



When they get to Kim’s room, Trini can’t help herself from smiling at the pink walls.

“So this is where the princess spends her nights.” Trini comments, casually sitting down on her friend’s comfortable bed.

Kim giggles, her face a little blushed, dropping her backpack on top of a chair and then sitting next to Trini.

“So… should we talk about your abuela?” She questions, getting settled on the bed, her back against the headboard.

Trini turns her body in a weird angle to look at Kim, “I don’t know, should we? I mean, shouldn’t we talk about why you were like that on the way here first?”

Kimberly pats the spot next to her on the bed, “Later. Come on.”

Trini sighs in fake annoyance, then surprising Kim by lying down on the bed with her head on the girl’s lap. Kim lets out a small smile and gently runs her hand through Trini’s hair.

“So for starters, what are your thoughts on pda?” She asks, still playing with her friend’s thick locks.

Trini closes her eyes, feeling butterflies on her stomach. She never would have imagined Kimberly Hart would one day be so close to her, enough to touch Trini with so much care. She forces her eyes to open back up, “I’m not that big on it. But then again, I haven’t really dated a lot. What about you?”

“I don’t mind it. So what are the rules about our… thing? Any different than how it was at dinner with your parents?” Kim rests her head on the wall behind the bed, allowing herself to appreciate having Trini so close. She tries not to dwell on the fact that they are still only “fake girlfriends”.

What matters right now is how cute Trini looks with her head on Kim’s lap, her beautiful eyes staring at the ceiling, a gentle smile on her face. Kimberly tries not to stare too much but it’s definitely hard.

“Not very different, I’d say. But then, we’re gonna be there for two whole days and a half, so maybe some things will have to be arranged.”

“Like what?”

“Like, my family will probably expect me to be nice to you, so that’s too bad.” Trini teases, smirking wide.

Kim gives the girl’s hair a light tug in revenge. “You’re such a dick, Trin.”

Trini quickly closes her smirk, letting out a low moan that makes Kim’s belly feel very gay things and her face go bright red.

“Oh, you love it, don’t try to deny it.” Trini comments a second later, seemingly ignoring what had just happened.

“Wha-what makes you say that?” Kim replies, still not a hundred percent recovered from the girl’s grunt. _Wait, was she talking about her moan or her being a dick?_

“Well, I just know it.”

“Oh yeah?”

Trini sits up, then getting really close to her friend’s face. “Y-yeah.” She smiles teasingly, her voice lightly shaking. Truth is, as much as she’s trying to seem cool and confident on the outside, inside she’s shaking like a leaf, her heart beating hard and fast in her chest.

Kimberly holds her breath for a second, she can’t believe what’s happening. Trini is so close to her and she looks so beautiful and her eyes are so bright, her hair so soft, her lips so… inviting. She quickly looks back up at Trini’s eyes, afraid of getting caught staring at the girl’s lips. But Trini herself is lost in her own feelings, her sight… you guessed it, fixed on Kim’s lips. Then she looks at her eyes and it dawns on her how easy it would be to just close the gap between them and finally kiss Kimberly.

Without even realizing, Kim slowly leans in, getting closer and closer to Trini. She feels like she’s suddenly in the woods because Trini smells like pine trees, and it’s so hard not to cry from how content she feels with the girl so near.

Trini, her heart beating on her ears, tries to stay calm while ever so slightly making the gap between them even smaller. She’s about to press her lips to Kim’s when she remembers how fragile and vulnerable the girl was not even half an hour ago, and how they still haven’t talked about it.

She would never want to take advantage of Kimberly, and Trini figures she could wait until her friend was in a better place.

She would wait as long as it took. Kim was worth it.

So with her heart tight on her chest, Trini presses the gentlest of kisses to Kimberly’s cheek, the corner of her mouth brushing against hers.

\---

“Can we stop talking about this now and focus on the real problem, Kim?” Trini lets out, after having spent the last fifteen minutes discussing what was okay and what wasn’t on their visit to abuela’s. She can sense Kimberly is still trying to evade talking about what was bothering her earlier.

Kim sighs, her head knocking against the wall a little too hard.

“Do we really have to?” She questions, her eyes closed and her face in an uncomfortable frown.

Trini thinks about it for a second before putting her hand on her friend’s leg. “I’m not gonna force you, obviously, but I feel like you should tell me what’s going on so I can understand you a little better and maybe try to help you if possible.” She takes a deep breath, “Let’s start small, okay? Like, why don’t you tell me why you don’t want to talk about it? What do you think is going to happen once you do? Is it my reaction that you’re scared of? Let it out, pretend I’m not even here.” She’s about to take her hand off Kim’s leg, but the girl holds it there.

Trini glances at Kimberly, whose eyes are still closed. She can see clearly how hard this must be for her friend, but doesn’t know why.

A few minutes later, Kim lets out a sigh, then finally replying, “I- I feel like if I tell you about it, you’ll pity me. And I don’t want that. I don’t want you to see me as this little girl whose parents didn’t love her enough, you know?” Her expression slowly starts softening when Trini turns her hand and intertwines their fingers together.

“Well, I was worried about the same thing when I let you see my relationship with my family. But you proved me wrong. And now I feel like we’re a lot closer and we can trust each other more, don’t you agree?” Trini mentions, when realizing Kim was not gonna keep talking.

Trini’s sight is still fixed on Kimberly’s face when the girl finally opens her eyes and looks back at her.

“Yeah, but how can I know you’re going to prove me wrong as well? I don’t want to risk that and- and end up losing- losing you.” Kim spits the words out, her voice cracking and her eyes getting filled with tears. She shakes her head angrily, forcing her eyes closed once more.

_Weak._

Trini squeezes Kim’s hand, then lightly running her thumb over her knuckles. “Hey. Look at me.”

Kim does as asked, her chest burning with fear. She feels like all her scars are getting cut open again, her blood dripping on the bed, drop by drop. She looks down at herself and tries to stay grounded in the present, _you’re not bleeding anymore, Kimberly._ The scars are still just that, scars. But the tears, the tears are real and happening right now.

“Can you feel my hand in yours?” Trini questions, squeezing her hand once more.

Kim nods, not trusting herself with words. Then Trini presses her friend’s hand against her chest.

“Can you feel that? Can you feel how fast my heart is beating right now, Kim?”

Kimberly nods once again, her eyes now so full of tears her vision gets blurry.

“I’m here. And I promise you, I’m not going away. Can’t you feel how important you are to me? There’s nothing you could say that would ever make you lose me.” Trini’s voice is raw and cracking, her head hurts from trying not to cry. She loses the battle and tears quickly start running down her cheeks.

Kim is openly sobbing when she throws her arms around Trini, hugging her as tight as she can. The weight catches Trini by surprise and next thing they know, they’re lying down on the bed, bodies still pressed together.

It’s then that Kimberly makes up her mind, she’s telling Trini everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already wrote part of next chapter and let me tell you, that shit is heavy. But don't worry, I'm not that big on angst, so you can rest assured that things will be okay.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her heart racing on her chest, Kim lightly shakes on her spot, still in silence. She watches as Trini realizes what she’s being shown, how pained her face looks making sense of the whole situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I really care about all of you guys. This chapter is a little heavy in the beggining but I tried not to get into a lot of details so that it would be easier for everyone to read. Plus, I made sure to add a few cute moments to try and soften the blow just in case.
> 
> If you've ever been through something similar to Kim in this fic, know that: as cliché as it sounds, you are loved, you matter, and it gets better.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of past self-harm

Kimberly Hart has never felt as naked as she does right now, telling Trini about her story.

She started by quickly explaining her relationship with her parents. How stranded it’s always been, how they mostly ignore her unless she does something wrong or different from what she is expected to. For instance, when she cut off her hair in the school restroom. That had been met with a lot of yelling and cursing from her parents’ part.

But that was not what she was most afraid of saying out loud, not really. After all, Trini’s relationship with her parents isn’t that great either, it was obvious she was going to understand Kim and be supportive.

Then she tells Trini about Amanda’s picture and the mistake she made. She explains, with her heart still full of self-hatred, how she was a mean, selfish, arrogant person to everyone around her. Kim goes on to say how much she regrets her actions and how she grew to realise she didn’t recognize the person she had become. How ever since that, Kimberly had tried her best to change, to be a better person.

But that was only the tip of the iceberg. You see, all of that might be true, but it’s not exactly the full story. Kim didn’t tell people what she was about to tell Trini, because she didn’t want them to think she was trying to make herself out to be the victim, when she was the one who instigated all of that mess. Truth is, she was ashamed of herself, so much so that it drove her to do things she never imagined she would ever do.

With Trini still holding on to her, Kim’s head pressed against the girl’s chest, Kimberly Hart feels as ready as she’ll ever be to tell her friend something she had never told anyone before. So she slowly unwraps herself from Trini’s arms and sits up on the bed.

“I need to show you something, but you gotta promise me you’re not going to say anything. Because I feel like showing it to you might be a little easier. You have to let me tell you with my own words though, I just need for you to- to see it first.” Kim comments, looking into Trini’s worried eyes.

“I promise.”

Kimberly sighs, “Okay.”

Then, she gets up from the bed, and starts fidgeting with the button on her jeans. “Fuck, I’m so nervous.”

Trini sits up, confused as to what’s about to happen, but still trying not to look as if she’s judging her friend. “It’s okay, Kim, take your time.”

Kimberly sighs again, then quickly opening her fly and the button of her pants, then sliding them down her legs. Trini’s eyes widen at first, in shock at seeing the girl’s body, but then she draws her eyes to the clear lines all over Kim’s thighs and her heart breaks. She counts over eight scars from where her eyes can see.

Her heart racing on her chest, Kim lightly shakes on her spot, still in silence. She watches as Trini realizes what she’s being shown, how pained her face looks making sense of the whole situation.

“As you can probably imagine, I did- I did this to myself.” Kim forces the words out of her. “I felt so angry for doing that to Amanda, for losing all my friends over it, I- I hated myself. Still do sometimes.” She puts her pants back on, avoiding Trini’s eyes, then keeps standing right there, in the middle of her bedroom, feeling exposed and vulnerable, not knowing what to do next.

So Kim decides to keep talking.

“I cut myself for three months. I wanted to die but death would have been too kind. I knew deep in my heart that I deserved to suffer for what I did, for the person I had become. So yeah, that’s why I did that. I tried to stop a few times but I would always go back to doing it.” She looks down at her feet, the floor beneath it cold and comforting.

“Then my parents started to get suspicious and I wanted to get them off my back, so I forced myself to really stop for a while. But then we became Power Rangers." She takes a deep breath before continuing, "I learned a lot with you and the guys. Especially Jason.” Kim finally let her eyes find Trini’s. “He told me once that I did a bad thing, a pretty bad thing, but that- that it didn’t make me a bad person.”

A single tear falls down Kimberly’s cheek, and she quickly collects it with the back of her hand.

“The last time I did it was when we couldn’t morph because of me. So yeah, although sometimes I felt the urge to, I didn’t do it again. But a few of those times I got really close to doing it.” Kim sighs, “Yesterday was one of those times.”

Trini stays silent, her eyes glued to Kim. Her heart beats loud on her ears and she tries hard not to cry. _Does she reach for her friend? Does she do something to help make it easier? What is she supposed to do?_

“It had been a while, you know? But yesterday it was pretty bad. My parents, uh- they were very loud. My dad was drunk, and mom was just yelling at him. That kind of thing doesn’t usually bother me, I’m kind of used to it, but for some reason this time I just couldn’t deal with it. They broke some things, I heard the noise. So I went downstairs to check if they hadn’t killed themselves-” She stops.

Kim fidgets with her fingers, her eyes watering again, then she takes a deep breath and keeps going. “When I got there, I think I spooked my dad, because he- he threw a vase at the wall right next to my head.” Kim gulps, “I know it wouldn’t have really hurt me, since I’m a power ranger and all, but it was still, uh, pretty scary.”

“I ran back upstairs and just felt this powerful urge to do it, to- to cut myself.” Kimberly sighs, closing her eyes tightly, “I felt like the only way out was to just- you know- I had some, uh, suicidal thoughts. But I remembered you and the guys, and how I still have a lot of good to do, so I convinced myself to get a backpack and go hike for a while. Then I ended up on the ship and as you know, I spent the night there.” She finishes, her sight fixed on her hands. “So that’s it. That’s what was going on.”

It’s quiet for the following minutes, Kim, scared out of her mind that Trini would just open the window and leave, Trini, not knowing what to say and how to comfort her friend. But she decides to try.

“Kim.” She calls, the girl looking up at her. Trini’s face is wet from tears, “I’m not completely sure what to say, but I’m here for you."

Kimberly nods, then looking down at her feet again.

“How long have you been clean?”

“Four months and eighteen days.”

Trini slowly, as to not startle her friend, gets up from the bed and makes her way to Kim. “I’m proud of you, okay?”

Kimberly grimaces, confused, and glances up at Trini. “You are?”

“Of course I am.” She takes her friend’s hands in hers. “You are strong, and brave, and I think you’re amazing. Plus, you’re stunning, alright? The most beautiful girl I’ve ever met- Not that that has anything to do with what we were talking about." She closes her eyes in frustration at not managing to get her point across, then, she takes a deep breath and relaxes before continuing, "What I mean to say is, I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.” Trini gently squeezes Kim’s hands. “I need to ask you something important though.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not going anywhere, but you have to promise me when we get back from abuela’s you’re gonna get help. You’ve been doing great but it’s important that you work through that so it doesn't happen again. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

Kim hesitates for a second, and Trini notices right away.

“Listen, I know you’re a power ranger and it might seem weird to admit to yourself that you need help, I get that. But if that makes you feel better in any way, I’ll be right there with you. I’ll clear my schedule and I’ll take you to your first few appointments if you’d like that. Probably when you start getting comfortable about the whole thing you won’t need me there as much, but you can always count on me.” Trini encourages her friend. “And I’m sure Zack, Jason, and Billy would make my words theirs if they knew.”

Then, Kimberly finally agrees, with a nod.

Trini softly puts her hands on each side of the girl’s face and brings it down to press a warm kiss to Kim’s forehead. Kimberly envelops her arms around her friend’s waist then, making the moment last a little longer. Right there, with Trini’s lips against her skin, Kim feels safe.

\---

“My parents will probably get home soon.” Kimberly comments, now with her head pressed against Trini’s chest, both girls lying down on Kim’s comfortable bed. Trini’s arms are carefully wrapped around her friend’s back, holding her close.

They’ve been like that for the last ten minutes, just silently comforting each other.

“So?”

“So you probably shouldn’t be around when they start arguing and breaking shit.”

Trini sighs, “I don’t care about them, I care about you. So if me being here makes it easier for you to deal with them, then I’m staying. Besides, I’m comfy.” She squeezes Kim in her arms.

“You’re cute when you’re cuddly and protective.” Kimberly rests her chin on Trini’s chest, looking up at her. Her stomach is filled with butterflies, but her heart is calm. Trini makes her feel so good, it’s crazy.

“I’m not cute, I’m punk rock.” She complains.

“You can be cute AND punk rock.”

Trini pouts in fake annoyance, “Fine.”

Kimberly can’t help herself and presses a kiss to the girl’s cheek. Trini blushes and lets out a giggle.

Trini’s never felt so comfortable and content like she does right now. She's so proud of Kim for opening up to her like that and letting her in. And even though the girls still haven’t turned into real girlfriends instead of fake ones, Trini still loves to spend time with Kimberly like that. She imagines being real girlfriends isn’t that different from how they are in that moment, aside from there probably being a lot more kisses involved, part of them on the lips, which they haven’t done yet, unfortunately. Trini can feel her face getting even redder at the thought.

And then there’s the possibility of sex. God, Trini’s heart races when she lets her mind go there. She light shakes her head, trying not to think about it right now.

_Kim told you her biggest secret less than an hour ago and you're thinking about sex? That's disgusting, Trini._

“Should we do something?” Kim inquires, breathing in the scent of pine trees coming from her friend, unknown of what was going through her head.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, maybe watch a movie or something like that.”

“Ok, what were you thinking about?” Trini questions.

“I was hoping you would tell me.”

Trini thinks for a few seconds before replying, “Legend of Korra!”

Kim frowns, “What is that?”

“An animated series. The protagonist is a bisexual woman of color and she gets the girl in the end.”

Kimberly lets out a soft giggle, “I didn’t know you watched cartoons, T.”

“Come on, Kim!” She pouts. “Just give it a chance!”

It takes all of Kim’s strength not to kiss Trini’s adorable pout away. “Fine. But next time I’m picking the show.”

\---

It’s about three episodes later that Kimberly hears the front door open. _Probably mom, back from work._ Her heart starts beating fast in anxiety and Trini seems to notice, because a second later, Kim’s hand is enveloped in the warmth of Trini’s.

She goes back to watching the show, actually starting to enjoy it.

“Bolin kind of reminds me of Zack. How he used to have a crush on Korra but then ended up becoming one of her best friends.” Trini comments, trying to get Kim’s mind away from the hole it was trying to dig.

“Aww, you love Zack.” Kim replies, “But shut up, I don’t want your spoilers.”

“So you admit you like the show…” She teases, a smirk on her face.

Kim rolls her eyes, “Fine, you win.”

\---

While they’re watching episode five, Kim hears the front door again. Looking at the clock on her wall, she sees it’s around the time her father usually arrives from work. Once again, the anxiety starts building up. _Please don’t let them yell at each other. Please don’t let them ye-_

“Come back, princess. Your head is far away from here.” Trini’s voice brings her back to the present.

“I think my father’s back.” She lets out, a worried expression on her face. Maybe if she wasn’t so preoccupied with her parents, Kim would have been able to enjoy the feeling she got when Trini called her ‘princess’.

Trini pauses the show, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” She opens her mouth to keep talking but closes it, changing her mind.

“What is it?”

Kim glances at Trini, a confused expression on her face. “Hm?”

“You were gonna say something, but then you didn’t.” Trini presses, going right to the point.

“It was nothing.” Kim replies, dismissively.

Trini sighs, rolling her eyes. “Come on, Kim, just tell me.”

After a few more seconds of silence, Kimberly finally mumbles, “Remember in your house, when you were feeling bad and I held you?”

“Yeah. And you promised you wouldn’t tell anyone about it…”

“I won’t. I was- I was just gonna ask you to… I don’t know… maybe- maybe do the same?”

Trini frowns, not really getting what Kim meant. “Like, not tell anyone about it? You mean about your parents or-“

“No, I meant- I meant if you could-“ She stops, gathering the courage to finish her sentence. “if you could hold me.”

Kimberly feels embarrassed and a little inadequate. It was so uncomfortable letting herself be that vulnerable in front of Trini like she had done earlier, and now she's here, asking to be held, like... how awkward can you get?

Trini’s eyes widen in surprise and her heart skips a beat, she can feel her face getting hot. “Of- Of course, I could, uh, definitely do that.”

“Thank you.” Kim replies, blushing just as much as her friend. “How do we-“

“Just come over h-“

They stop talking for a few seconds, just shyly looking at each other.

“We’re making it weird, aren’t we?” Kimberly comments, letting out a small smile.

“We are.” She smiles back.

“I’m sorry, we don’t have to-“

Trini interrupts Kim by pulling the girl flush into her, her arms wrapped around Kim’s waist, both girls lying down on the bed.

“Shut up, Kim. You asked me to hold you, now I’m holding you. So stop making it weirder and start enjoying it because if Zack had been the one asking this I would’ve told him to get lost.” Pressed so closed together, Kim can’t see how red Trini’s face looks.

Kimberly brushes her lips against Trini’s neck and both girls’ heart beat rapidly. “Thank you, Trini.” She squeezes the girl holding her.

“Anytime.” Trini forces out, really meaning it. She vows to protect Kim with everything she’s got. Trini loosens her hold on the girl for a second, grabbing the laptop on the bed and putting it on Kim’s lap before settling in next to her, her arms around Kimberly’s waist and her face on the girl’s shoulder. “Now, Korra?”

“Korra.” Kim clicks play, and even though her parents are probably going to start yelling at each other any minute now, with Trini, she lets herself relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In no way, shape, or form do I mean to make light of any of the issues portrayed above. That being said, if you feel like I was untactful or disrespectful, please let me know so I can do better in the future.
> 
> Next chapter is still very Kim centered, I wanted to take my time to deepen her character as much as possible before moving the story along.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She sighs in defeat, “If we’re meant to be together, we’ll be together. I can’t rush this.”
> 
> Translation: "I’m too much of a chicken to confront Kim, she’ll have to tell me first because I don’t want to get my stupid heart broken."
> 
> Zack rolls his eyes and finishes the rest of his coffee. “Whatever you say, T.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! It is I, your favorite talking trashcan! 
> 
> In today's menu we have: angst, Kim's fucked up home life, Trimberly being cute as always, Zack as the shipper, Trini: a smol gay baby, and the chef's personal favorite: Jealous!Kim
> 
> Enjoy the feast!
> 
> PS: After I finished writing this I went on imdb and found out Kim's parents already have names, but I was too lazy to change everything, so hopefully that won't bother you guys too much.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: violence (not too graphic but still), I guess parental abuse?, mention of domestic violence, ableist language, plus Kim goes through a bit of a dissociative state. (That's all just in the beggining though).

“I’m just saying maybe we should talk to Kimberly about this!” Navya’s voice echoes in the house. Kim’s parents have been talking about this since they got home from work.

“I get that, but I feel it would be best if we waited until you actually come to a decision before we tell her.”

“There’s no decision to make, Ryan! I already made up my mind, we’re getting a divorce!”

The man, Ryan, sighs heavily, dragging his hand over his face in frustration. “Don’t you think we should talk more about this? Maybe you’re rushing into it! I know I made a mistake but we can fix this, Navya.”

Navya rolls her eyes, “A mistake? You got so drunk yesterday you couldn’t recognize me! You threw one of my great-grandmother’s antique vases at our daughter! And destroyed half of the kitchen’s glassware! You call that a mistake?” Her voice gets louder and louder the more worked up she gets. “You could have really hurt Kimberly!”

“But I didn’t! And I will never do that ever again, I promise you!” Ryan begs, at this point the adults are screaming at each other. “I’m sorry!”

Kimberly, in her bedroom with Trini, can’t help but hear the yelling. She takes a deep breath and glances at her friend, who looks startled at the commotion.

“Please, you have to give me another chance!”

“I’m done, Ryan!”

The yelling continues, and things appear to get a little out of control, because a few seconds later, Trini and Kim hear a heavy thud coming from downstairs. Kimberly quickly jumps out of the bed and runs to the edge of the stairs with Kim close behind her.

When she looks at the scene, Kimberly feels anger and fear coursing through her veins. Her mother, Navya, is on the floor, her head and back pressed against the wall. Her father, Ryan, is standing a few feet away from Navya with a guilty look on his face.

Kim runs down the stairs in rage and helps her mother up with Trini’s assistance, then turning aggressively to the man, who tries to get closer to them.

“It was an accident, I swear!”

“I don’t care! Stay away from us!” Kim screams in her mom’s defense. “What’s wrong with you?”

Trini’s holding most of Navya’s weight, the woman being too shaken to stand on her own.

“Don’t talk to me like that, I’m still your father!” Ryan yells back. “Navya, are you going to let our daughter disrespect me like this? Tell her it was an accident!”

The woman doesn’t say anything, avoiding her husband’s eyes in shame.

“Get out.” Kimberly growls.

“It was an accident!” He screams even louder, then taking a few steps towards his daughter. “I’m so sorry, please give me another chance! I promise this will never happen again!”

Ryan kneels down in front of Kim, wrapping his arms around the girl’s legs, begging. Kimberly tries not to cry at the scene, not knowing what to feel. She’s enraged, but at the same time, seeing her father like that makes her look at him full of pity.

“Let go of me, dad.” She asks, her voice cracking.

Trini stares worriedly at Kimberly, wanting to intervene but aware that her friend probably wanted to handle this on her own. Navya is crying desperately, holding tightly onto Trini.

“Stop this, Ryan.” The woman forces the words out.

“You have to give me another chance!” Ryan gets up but then grabs his daughter by the arms, his hold is strong and the pressure bothers Kim. It’s not enough to hurt her, but if she wasn’t a power ranger, it sure would be. Kimberly averts his eyes, tears now rolling down her face, she feels like she’s drowning.

“Let go of me.” Her voice gets weaker, and she feels herself starting to slowly dissociate, her mind getting further and further away. Ryan violently shakes her but all she can focus on is the ringing in her ears and the blurring of her vision.

It seems like hours pass, but it was probably only a few seconds when the pressure on Kimberly’s arms disappears. Someone is holding her with caution, and the yelling gets lower and lower until it’s unhearable.

A voice calls her name and her mother’s face is suddenly there, right in front of her eyes.

“Kimberly?”

She blinks back into reality, the ringing in her ears gone.

“Mom?” Kim mumbles, confused and not really sure of what had just happened.

“It’s okay, baby. He’s gone, he won’t hurt us again.” Navya embraces her, and everything starts making sense again.

Her father. Her mom getting pushed. Kimberly running down the stairs to help her. Ryan’s forceful grip on her arms. Trini was there.

Kim looks around her, not finding her friend. She carefully leans away from Navya, who lets go of her.

“Where is she? Where is Trini?”

Her mother stares back at her as if she had just asked a very stupid question.

“She’s outside.”

Kimberly quickly makes her way to the front door, slamming it open. Trini is standing on the front yard, looking at the clouds above her but gets startled by the noise and glances at the door. Trini sees dark hair and Kim is suddenly hugging her tightly. She hugs back, rubbing Kimberly’s back comfortingly.

“Are you okay?” Trini questions. Kim’s mom is standing close to the door, looking worriedly at her daughter.

“Yeah, why are you out here?”

“I thought you would want to be alone with your mother. Maybe talk to her about everything. Why are _you_ out here?”

“I couldn’t find you. I thought you had left.” Kim gently squeezes Trini in her arms.

Trini frowns, “I wouldn’t leave like that. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Kimberly lets go of her friend, then pulling her back into the house by the hand. Navya closes the door after the girls get back inside.

“Of course.” She affirms, grimacing. Kim looks at her mom, “Are you okay?”

 Navya nods, “I’m sorry. It’s my fault things got out of hand. I was careless, I let your father get too far.”

Kimberly shakes her head and motions for everyone to sit down on the couch.

“Dad is not your responsibility, he’s a grown man who can make his own decisions. It’s his fault, not yours.”

“Still, I could have handled the situation better, that way your friend wouldn’t have had to intervene.”

Trini is staring at the unplugged television, the only one still standing, while Kim and Navya are seated. Kimberly frowns, now realizing there are a few seconds, maybe minutes, missing from her memory.

“It doesn’t matter.” Trini mumbles, finally glancing back at the women. “He won’t lay a finger on any of you ever again.”

Suddenly, Kim remembers.

_“You need me! We’re a family! You two are nothing without me!” Ryan yelled, shaking Kimberly violently. If she were herself at that moment, she probably wouldn’t have even moved, but Kim was nothing but an empty shell._

_“Your mother is nothing without me! You are nothing without me! Do you hear me?”_

_Trini starts shaking in anger. Navya is sobbing hysterically, she lightly pushes Trini away and tries to contain Ryan, unsuccessfully._

_“What’s wrong with you, Kimberly?” He howls, saliva particles landing on the girl’s face. Ryan then glances at Navya, who’s gripping his arm desperately. “Is your daughter retarded?”_

_Navya lets go, taken aback by the words, and then Trini’s fist is connecting to Ryan’s face, the man releasing Kimberly’s arms and going down without another groan. Kim’s mom takes ahold of her whilst Trini picks up the unconscious guy with ease and glances at Kim, who’s still staring ahead emotionlessly._

_“I’ll get rid of him." She comments, then settling Ryan on her shoulder and opening the door with her free hand,"I’m outside if any of you need anything.” And with that, Trini exits the house. Navya stares, for a second, mesmerized by the girl's surprising strength._

“Thank you.” Kim mumbles, glancing at her friend. “Thank you, Trini.” She grabs Trini’s hand, giving it a light squeeze.

“Don’t mention it.”

Navya peers gratefully at the short girl, relieved she was there when they needed help.

\---

“Text me if you need anything, alright?” Trini says, hugging Kim goodbye.

Kimberly nods, a soft smile on her face. “I will.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. Now go, Zack is probably waiting for you.”

Trini smirks, “He can wait.”

Kim gently pushes the girl away, “Don’t be mean to him, T.”

“Fine.” She rolls her eyes, and then presses a gentle kiss to Kim’s cheek, which makes her face go hot. “Bye, princesa.” Trini utters. A second later, she turns around and walks away, leaving a flustered Kimberly standing on the front yard.

\---

Zack is seated in one of the café booths, playing on his phone, by the time Trini walks in. She sits down next to him mumbling a low “hey”.

“What’s up, crazy girl?” Zack inquires, smiling at his friend and putting away his cellphone.

“Not much, I just got back from Kim’s place.”

He raises his brow teasingly. “Oh, yeah? What were you guys doing? Making out or something?”

Trini doesn’t laugh, which worries Zack.

“Did something happen? What’s wrong?”

The girl shakes her head tiredly, “It’s Kim, she’s going through some pretty heavy stuff. It’s not for me to tell, though. But it’s not good, man, it’s not good.”

Zack frowns, “Will she be okay?”

“Yeah, Kimberly Hart is a tough girl.” Trini smiles with hope.

“Besides, she’s got you, right?” He adds, lightly elbowing his friend on the ribs.

“She’s got me.”

There’s silence on the table for a few minutes before Zack glances at Trini with this look that tells her a lot.

“You know what I’m thinking, don’t you?” He asks, certain.

She nods, a scowl on her face. “Yes. And you’re right, as much as it pains me to admit it.”

_You’re right, I’m falling for her._

Zack lets out a nice laugh.

“I’m scared, Z.”

He puts his arm around Trini’s shoulder and gives her a comforting squeeze.

“I know, T. I know.”

\---

It’s been a few minutes since Zack and Trini got their drinks, the girl had insisted on paying for her friend, who took a long time to be convinced, but ended up agreeing to it.

Zack slurps on his coffee before breaking the silence. “Why don’t you tell Kimberly how you feel?”

Trini chokes, coughing desperately, her eyes get teary. Her friend pats her on the back trying to help and lets out a chuckle, which earns him an elbow to the ribs.

A minute later, when the girl finally relaxes on her seat again, Zack glares at her, still waiting on a response. Trini rolls her eyes.

“I can’t. Even if I wanted to.” She murmurs, looking down at the table in front of them.

“And why is that?”

Trini sighs, then taking a sip of her drink, “I don’t want to overwhelm her. Like I said, Kim is dealing with a few things and I really don’t want to be a cause of more stress in her life, you know?”

Zack frowns and gently knocks his shoulder on Trini’s, “I don’t get it, dude. I’m almost positive she likes you back, how could you telling her about your feelings cause her stress?”

“If she likes me back, then I want to be with her because she wants to be with me, not just because she’s vulnerable and needs someone to be close to her, does that make sense?”

Zack nods.

“I don’t want to take advantage of her, and I don’t want her to focus on me when she should be taking care of herself.”

“Don’t you think you should let her make her own choice, though? Like, I get that you think you shouldn’t be together right now, but what if you’re wrong? What if being with you makes her feel better and strengthens her, like, if it ends up helping her take better care of herself? Plus, you might look like a heartless bitch but I can see how much you care about Kimberly, I know you’ll be there for her no matter what.”

Trini takes a deep breath and puts her cup down on the table. She glances at Zack with a doubtful look in her eyes. “That’s really optimistic and all but it’s more complicated than that. I’m sure someday I’ll tell her, but if she wants to be with me right now then she has to take the first step because I need to be sure she’s positive this is what she wants. It would be selfish of me to dump all my feelings on her like that.”

She runs her fingers through her thick locks,  “And you’re right, I will be there for her no matter what. Even if we’re just friends. But I don’t know, man, I really don’t think I should tell her how I feel, not now.”

Trini doesn’t let herself think about how scared she actually is of telling Kimberly. Even though Jason and Zack might believe Kim likes her back, it’s easier to just believe them and stop there. Like, if she talks to Kim about it, then there will be a chance of rejection and everything might change between them. So yeah, it’s safer to not be sure. That way she won’t get rejected and nobody will get hurt.

She sighs in defeat, “If we’re meant to be together, we’ll be together. I can’t rush this.”

Translation: "I’m too much of a chicken to confront Kim, she’ll have to tell me first because I don’t want to get my stupid heart broken."

Zack rolls his eyes and finishes the rest of his coffee. “Whatever you say, T.”

Trini rests her head on the table, too tired to handle her feelings.

The bell on top of the café door rings and Zack looks at the person who walks in, opening a wide smile. He waves at the person and pats Trini’s back, “I’m gonna go now. It’s almost time to get mom’s meds. Call me if you need to talk.”

“Great, I’ll be here drowning on my sorrows. Bye.” She mumbles, her face still pressed against the table, her drink long forgotten.

Zack rolls his eyes and gets up, throwing his cup on the trash and walking to the line, approaching the person who he had waved at earlier.

“Hey, Zack.”

“Hi, Kimberly. Trini told me you’re going through some stuff- Listen, I know we’re not that close, but if you ever want to talk you know where to find me. I care about you, alright?” He gives Kim’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, “Plus, Trini is my bro and she’s crazy about you, so that makes me crazy about you too, I guess. Because you make her happy. And I’m happy when that crazy girl is happy.” Zack smiles warmly at his friend.

Kim looks a little surprised to hear Zack’s words, but seems glad to. “Thank you, Z. You’re a great guy.” She pulls him in for a quick embrace. “I’m crazy about Trini too.” Kimberly’s cheeks get hot, “Hopefully she knows that.”

Zack raises his brow, “I’m sure she does.” He smirks, “I was just leaving, but maybe you should talk to Trini?" Zack motions to the girl, still in the same position she was when he left her, "She’s being a little difficult but you always seem to cheer her up.” He takes a few steps backwards, towards the door. “Maybe tell T how you feel about her?” Zack winks, and a second later, he’s out of the café and gone.

Kim’s heart tightens on her chest, _how did Zack know? Was she too obvious? Does everyone know? Fuck, does Trini know?_ She takes a deep breath and shakes her head.

“Next.”

Kimberly makes her way to the cashier to place her order, she’ll deal with Trini later.

\---

Trini finally sits back up on her seat, planning on throwing out her trash and walking home, but she’s surprised by Kimberly making her way towards her.

_What? When did Kim even get here? Did she see me looking like a loser with my face pressed against this disgusting table? Why, God? Why?_

She forces a smile when her friend gets there. _Keep your cool, Trini._

“Are you stalking me, Kim?”

Kimberly sits down in front of her and smirks, “You wish. I thought you’d be gone already.”

“Oh, so you didn’t want to see me?” Trini pouts.

Kim lets out a soft giggle that makes Trini’s insides get warm and feel like they're gonna melt.

“Don’t look at me like that, you make me want to pinch your cheeks.”

Trini stares back at her friend, offended. “Excuse me, did you just imply I look cute? How dare you, Kimberly Hart?”

Kim once again giggles and Trini’s heart races, “I thought we’d already been over that, Trin. You’re cute.”

With her face red, Trini tries to keep her dignity intact, “Damn. Here I was, thinking I was hot. How delusional of me.”

Kimberly rests her hand on top of Trini’s, “Who says you can’t be both?”

The short girl smiles shyly, turning her hand to intertwine her fingers with Kim’s. “Are you hitting on me?”

Kim smirks, her turn to blush, “Maybe. Is it working?”

Trini squeezes Kim’s hand, “Maybe.”

Both girls are quiet for a few minutes, just glancing at each other every now and then, hands still joined together.

“I thought you had a crush on Jason.” Trini suddenly mentions, a shy smile on her face. “He told me you guys are just friends, though, which honestly caught me by surprise.”

Kim looks taken aback by the comment, frowning, _Tell her, Kimberly! It’s your chance! Tell her!!_ She takes a deep breath before replying, “Really? I thought it was obvious I- I- Listen, T-“

“Excuse me.” A female voice interrupts Kim. She looks up and finds a teenage girl standing next to their booth, her sight fixed on Trini. “I was just about to order but I couldn’t help but notice how pretty you look and I had to come over here and say it.”

Kim’s blood boils and she feels the instant need to tell the chick to back off. She’s jealous. Kimberly Hart is _very_ jealous.

Trini looks surprised and a little confused, “Thank you.” She replies, sheepishly.

“Hey, I’m just being honest. You are gorgeous. I’m Daisy, and you are…?” The girl offers Trini her hand to shake, completely ignoring Kimberly, who’s looking daggers at this… Daisy.

Kim screams internally, _this was supposed to be her chance! Her chance to tell Trini how she feels! And now stupid Daisy is ruining everything!_

“Uh, I’m Trini.” She hesitantly shakes the girl’s offered hand, not wanting to be impolite.

Trini glances at Kim, who looks like she’s about to break the entire café. Noticing how uncomfortable her friend is, Trini grabs her hand once again, on top of the table, giving it a warm squeeze. Then she looks back at Daisy.

“This is Kim.” Trini comments.

“Right.” Daisy replies, not really giving Kim another glance. “Could I maybe get your number? We should go out sometime.”

Kimberly clears her throat, offended. _Who does this girl think she is? Asking Trini out right in front of her?? What the fuck!!_

“I’m sorry, do you have a problem?” Daisy asks, looking at Kim for what seems to be the first time since she rudely interrupted her.

_Trini is not your girlfriend, Kim, you have no right to get mad._

She shakes her head in defeat, looking down at the table, “Nope. No problem at all.”

Kimberly tries to let go of Trini’s hand, but the girl squeezes it again and holds on to it.

Daisy looks back at Trini, still waiting for her response, and smiles kindly. “So? Would you like that?”

Trini frowns, “I’m sorry, Daisy. You seem like a very nice and fun chick but I’m already interested in someone else.” She glances at Kim, whose face gets hot right away.

“Aw. Alright, then, no problem.” Daisy replies, “I’m gonna go now, it was nice meeting you.” And with that, she turns around and goes back to the queue.

Kim’s heart beats even quicker when Trini squeezes her hand one more time, and her stomach fills with butterflies when the girl brings their joined hands to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of Kimberly’s hand.

“I’m sorry about that, princesa. What were you saying?” Trini comments, staring adoringly at Kim, a light blush on her cheeks.

_Smooth, Trini, smooth! Nobody can tell how much you want to cry right now from how gay you feel and how starving you are for Kim’s attention and love!! Good job!_

Kimberly opens her mouth to try and respond, but her cellphone rings, startling her. She looks at the screen and sees it’s a text from her mother asking her to come home right away because they need to have a pretty important talk.

She frowns, “I’m so sorry, Trin, it’s my mom. I have to go, it’s important.” Kim gives Trini’s hand a comforting squeeze. “We’ll talk tomorrow, though? What time is your family driving to your grandma’s?”

Trini sighs, “It’s okay, Kim, I understand. We’ll stop by your house at 2 p.m.”

Kimberly nods, then getting up from her seat. “I’ll see you at 2, then.” She gets closer to Trini and presses a gentle kiss to the girl’s cheek. “Bye, T.”

“Bye, princesa.” Trini mumbles, but Kim is already at the door. She has this warm, fuzzy feeling in her belly, and carefully puts her hand where Kim had just kissed. “See you tomorrow.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the start of their visit to abuela's! 
> 
> Hopefully this was okay, let me know your thoughts!
> 
> And as always, tell me if I was in any way disrespectful or careless, please, I don't want to make anyone upset!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Now… Kimberly, huh? She seems like a lovely young lady.”
> 
> Trini laughs, embarrassed, and doesn’t say anything. She’s glad she came to her abuela’s, it’s nice to feel accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, this turned out longer than I expected. I feel like a million things happen in this chapter, hopefully it won't seem too rushed. I just finished writing it so I was gonna post it tomorrow but I figured what the hell, let me just get this out of the way.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: homophobia and biphobia (not a lot, though, don't worry)

Trini takes a deep breath, putting her huge backpack on the trunk of her father’s car, along with everyone else’s luggage.

“Ready?” Javier asks, patting Trini’s back comfortingly. She nods, mumbling a low “sure”.

“So how are you feeling?” He insists, trying to get more words out of his daughter.

Trini sighs. She’s honestly surprised her father is trying so hard to look supportive. “I’m alright, I guess.” She replies.

“Get in, then. Let’s go get your girlfriend, mija.” Javier comments, a kind smile on his face.

It seems like he's getting more and more used to the idea of Trini dating a girl. She opens the car door and joins her brothers, who were already inside.

_This is gonna be interesting._

\---

“Hey, everyone.” Kim greets, sitting next to Trini on the car, her backpack on her lap.

“Hi, Kim.” Juan Pablo replies, smiley as always. Diego gives her a little wave from his spot next to his brother.

“Hola, Kimberly.” Javier says from the driving seat. Anita whispers a quick hello, seated shotgun.

“Hey, princesa.” Trini mumbles, with a teasing smile. Kim’s feels her face getting hot, and kisses Trini’s cheek gently.

“Hey, you.” She replies, smirking at Trini, who looks shy all of a sudden, hiding her face on Kim’s neck and letting out a nervous laugh.

\---

The ride to abuela’s takes about three hours. Javier spends it by making a few comments and jokes here and there but is mostly quiet. Anita, on the other hand, doesn’t say a word, staring out the window the majority of the time. Diego and Juan Pablo play on their phones, exchanging some words every once in a while and trying to make conversation with Trini and Kim, who listen to some music with Trini’s earphones on.

Around two hours in, Trini hesitantly grabs Kimberly’s hand, blushing the entire time, and they hold hands for the rest of the ride. Juan Pablo whispers something in Diego’s ear when the boys see how relaxed and comfortable their sister looks with Kim.

When the car approaches abuela’s house, Trini’s heart starts racing in anxiety. _What if she changes her mind and treats her and Kim badly all weekend? Worse, what if she kicks them out? Trini would be so embarrassed, what would she even say to Kimberly? Sorry, I wasted your time? God, she can already feel the disappointment._

“We’re here.” Javier announces, a wide smile on his face as he parks the car. Anita is the first one out, ringing the doorbell without waiting for anyone. Kim and Trini are the next ones out the car, Trini opening the trunk to get her backpack while Kim stands nervously next to her.

Diego and Juan Pablo run around the yard, their energy needing to be released for spending so long seated doing nothing. Javier gets the rest of the luggage and makes his way to the front door, Anita already there looking emotionless.

A few seconds later, the door opens and an excited looking old woman gives Anita a tight hug.

“Hola, Yolanda!” Javier greets, his turn to get a hug.

“Javier! It’s been too long!” She replies animatedly.

“You’re right, we should’ve come by a lot earlier!”

Yolanda looks around, finding Kim and Trini standing awkwardly next to the couple.

“Trini, mi bella nieta! I missed you, darling!” Yolanda exclaims, pulling her granddaughter in for a hug. Then she sets her sight on Kim, “And that must be Kimberly! What a beautiful young lady you are!”

“Thank you, ma'am. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Kim smiles shyly, offering the woman a hand to shake, but is surprised when Yolanda hugs her just as she did to everyone. Trini sighs in relief. Maybe this won’t be too bad after all.

\---

“I was thinking, you and Javier should take my bed. I can sleep in the guest room with the boys so Trini and Kimberly can take the sofa-bed.” Yolanda suggests, stirring her cup of coffee.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, mamá?” Anita replies, sighing. She’s been trying to be okay with everything but truth is, it’s harder for her than she expected it to be.

Yolanda and Anita have been catching up in the kitchen while Javier and the boys played ball outside. Trini and Kimberly were outside as well, watching the guys and enjoying the nice weather.

“Why wouldn’t it be? Is it my back you’re worried about? I told you I’ve been taking care of it, mija. Besides, the guest room bed is very comfortable, and the boys love sleeping on the bunk beds when they visit. Do you have a better proposition?” Yolanda inquires, then taking a sip of her coffee.

Anita takes a deep breath, “That’s not it, mamá. Do you really think we should let the girls sleep on the same bed? Isn’t that… weird?”

“It’s not like we really have another choice, Anita. Either they sleep on the same bed or Kimberly ends up having to share a bed with someone else and gets uncomfortable. I wouldn’t want that, she’s a guest. And it’s not like they’re going to do anything, the living room is not the most private place in the house.”

“Couldn’t we have Trini and her get the bunk beds?”

“And have Diego and Juan Pablo complaining the entire time? The bunk beds are theirs after all, it wouldn’t be fair to the boys.”

Yolanda starts thinking Anita might be worried about something else.

“What is the real problem, mija? Are you afraid the girls are going to have sex? Is that it? I told you the living room is not sexy at all, I assure you Trini would never want to take her clothes off in front of my bird statue, she says it stares right into her soul. Then there’s all the crosses and pictures of the pope-“

“Mamá! Please stop talking.” Anita interrupts, her face red in embarrassment.

“Why? Is that not what you’re worried about? Trini having sex?” Yolanda insists, her coffee forgotten on top of the table.

“I don’t care about Trini having sex, alright? It’s her having sex with- with a woman… that’s what bothers me.” She growls, then hiding her face with her hands. “It’s wrong, homosexuality is sin.”

Yolanda takes a deep breath, “At first I felt the same way you do, mija. But I love my granddaughter, I love her with all mi corazón and I want her to be happy. It’s not our place to judge, the pope did say that. And he represents God, so who am I to disagree?”

Anita stays in silence for a few minutes, then gets up to put her cup in the sink and wash it, “You might be right. It’s just hard for me to grasp it, I never thought Trini would turn out to be gay.”

Yolanda follows her and gently rubs her daughter’s back, “I understand. But try not to let Trini see you feel that way, I don’t want you to lose her.”

Anita nods. She loves Trini, she just needs to get used to seeing her with another girl, right? Hopefully it will get easier soon. She has to try harder.

\---

Kimberly gets startled by something touching her leg, but when she looks down, it’s just a fat orange cat rubbing itself on her. “Oh my God, your grandma has cat? I love cats!” She crouches down to pet the animal, who purrs at her touch.

Trini, who was just playing catch with her brothers while her father went inside to eat, stares at her, shocked. “That’s not a cat, that’s a demon. Why is it even letting you touch it?” She makes her way towards Kim, but the cat hisses at her when she gets near.

“See? Demon!” Trini complains, stepping back.

Kimberly lets out a laugh and gets up, the cat immediately starting to rub its body on her legs again.

“Aw, look! That’s not a demon, it’s just a kitty that doesn’t like you in particular. I mean, I wouldn’t blame it, you’re very annoying.” Kim teases, smirking at Trini.

“Oh, yeah? You think I’m annoying? Then you wouldn’t mind it if I just went back to ignoring you whenever you try to talk to me, right?” Trini replies, raising her brow. “Yeah, just go back to petting that demon, you traitor.”

Kimberly steps over the cat and stops in front of her friend, a wide smile on her face, “Are you jealous, Trini? Is it because your abuela’s cat likes me more than you or because you’re afraid I might like it more than I like you? Which one is it?”

“Shut up.” Trini mumbles, frowning at Kim and looking away in embarrassment.

“You’re unbelievable.” Kimberly comments, pulling Trini in for a hug, “What a big baby, jealous of a cat.”

Trini feels her face getting hot and hides it on Kim’s neck, “Stop it, Kim.”

“Aw don’t worry, T, I’m not gonna date your grandma’s cat, I’m not into that.” She giggles.

Trini pushes Kimberly away, blushing even harder, “I hate you.”

“I love you.” Kim says, still laughing.

Then Trini looks at her in surprise and caught off guard, which makes Kim stop laughing right away and stare back at her friend, wondering if she’d said too much.

“I mean- I-“ She backpedals, her heart beating fast against her ribs.

“I love you too.” Trini interrupts, a shy smile on her face. “Kim, I-“ She starts, but is hit on the head with a football thrown by one of her brothers. Trini turns around with a grimace, “Which one of you shitheads was it?”

Diego and Juan Pablo laugh uncontrollably, and Trini runs after them right away. Kimberly sighs, _oh boy, she’s in love with Trini, it’s undeniable._

\---

A few minutes later, Yolanda calls Trini inside to talk. Kim decides to go take a shower so her friend could have a little privacy.

“Tell me, Trini, how are you?”

“Uh, I’m fine. Why?” The girl grunts, shifting on the couch where she’s seated next to her grandmother.

Yolanda raises a brow, “Do you think I’m stupid, niña? I can see how tense things are between you and your madre.” She explains.

Trini sighs, then shaking her head in disbelief, “No, I don’t think you’re stupid, abuelita. I’m just confused about this entire situation. Mom has always had a problem with my sexuality, things haven’t been great between us for a long time. Honestly, I’m surprised you’re okay with me being… you know… who I am.” She avoids her grandmother’s eyes, staring at the floor.

Yolanda grabs Trini’s hands, “Trini, I love you. You’re a good girl and you deserve to be happy no matter what. I like to think God doesn’t care who you fall in love with, but if he does, then that’s his problem, I’m not going to love or respect you any less because of that. You’re mi familia.”

 Trini stays quiet, still staring at the floor, not wanting her grandmother to see her crying.

“¿Entiendes?” Yolanda presses, giving Trini’s hand a comforting squeeze. “Tu eres mi nieta and I want you to be yourself. You are brave, and strong, and I am proud of you, Trini. Te quiero tal y como eres.”

Trini nods, then accidentally letting out a choked sob. Yolanda pulls her in for a hug, lightly rubbing her back. Things might still be awkward and complicated with her family but all that matters right now is that her grandmother loves her just the same.

“Now… Kimberly, huh? She seems like a lovely young lady.”

Trini laughs, embarrassed, and doesn’t say anything. She’s glad she came to her abuela’s, it’s nice to feel accepted.

\---

Trini’s heart beats fast inside her chest. Dinner with her family has always made her anxious, but today it’s even worse, knowing she would be the focus and subject of the conversation, along with Kimberly.

She chose to sit between Kim and Javier, her brothers and mother were across from them, with her grandmother at the head of the table.

“The food is delicious, Mrs. Gomez.” Kimberly compliments, breaking the silence.

“Thank you, but please, call me Yolanda.”

Kim nods, a polite smile on her face, and goes back to eating.

The silence gets nearly deafening again, making Trini’s blood boil. She knows she’s the reason everyone is so uncomfortable at the table and it makes her frustrated and upset.

“So Kimberly, does Trini speak more around you? She’s usually a girl of few words.” Yolanda asks, making conversation.

“Oh, I can get her talking,” Kim laughs, “but I like being around Trini even when she’s quiet and broody.”

Trini opens a shy smile, her face getting hot.

“Look, Trini is blushing!” Juan Pablo teases, pointing at his sister.

“Stop it, feo.” Trini replies, glaring at her young brother.

“Mamá, Trini called me feo.”

Anita sighs, clearly still uncomfortable, “Stop being a child, Trini.”

“He started it!”

“I don’t care who started it, just eat your food and shut up.”

Trini’s face falls and she stares at her plate, no longer hungry. She’s always the one to blame, no matter the circumstance, and it’s getting annoying now. “Right.” She mumbles, tired.

Kim quietly puts a warm hand on Trini’s thigh in support. Trini then rests her left hand on top of her friend’s, in a silent _thank you_.

“Do you know what you’re going to do after you graduate, Kimberly? Trini doesn’t.” Anita comments, openly judgmental.

Trini frowns.

“Well, we’re not even seniors yet, Mrs. Gomez. Trini and I still have a long time to decide what we want to do for the rest of our lives. So no, I don’t know.” Kim replies, starting to get upset at how Anita is throwing her own daughter under the bus.

“It’s never too early to make a decision, but you wouldn’t know about that, from what I’ve heard you’re bisexual, right?”

Kim opens her mouth in shock, “Excuse me?”

Trini’s cutlery clashes against the plate, being carelessly dropped. “What did you just say to her?”

Anita stares between both girls, “I’m sorry, am I wrong? Kimberly will eventually have to make up her mind and pick a side, isn’t that how this works? And let’s be honest, she will probably end up with a man and leave you broken, Trini. You’re probably just her little experiment. Eventually I will have to be the one to pick up the pieces and make you whole again. A girl like Kimberly would never go for a girl like you. Maybe you should look for a real lesbian, since that's what you are.”

Trini’s eyes widen, she can’t believe her mother’s words. She gets up from her chair in a rage and runs upstairs without a word. Kimberly looks like she’s been spat on.

“Mrs. Gomez, that’s- that’s actually a very disrespectful thing to say. And you’re wrong.” She’s shaking in her seat, angry, and squeezing her own thigh, “I won’t get into the whole bisexual thing because you clearly couldn’t give less of a fuck,”

Everyone looks way too shocked to say anything.

“But I won’t let you talk to Trini like this. She’s smart, kind, strong, and beautiful, and it might have been a little tricky to get her to open up to me, but every second I spend with her makes me more sure of how I feel. I’m in love with her, Mrs. Gomez.”

“That girl has spent the last two years of her life trying to make you accept and love her for who she is and that’s what you have to say? I don’t care if you talk shit about me, feel free to do that, but don’t you dare question my feelings for your daughter. She’s so worthy and so amazing and I will remind her of that every single day for as long as she needs me to, but you… you don’t deserve her.”

Kimberly means every word. She gets up from her chair and glances at Yolanda and Javier, “I’m sorry for being disrespectful and impolite, but I couldn’t just stand here and watch Trini get attacked by her mother again. The food was amazing, thank you for treating me with kindness. Now, excuse me.”

And with that, Kimberly goes after Trini.

\---

_A girl like Kimberly would never go for a girl like you._ The sentence repeats over and over inside Trini’s head. She falls carelessly on the guest room bed. _What did you think was going to happen? That your mother would be nice and respectful and try to be more accepting of you? Pathetic._

“A girl like Kimberly would never go for a girl like me.” She echoes, her lungs burning and her chest aching. Tears wet her once content face.

“Your mother is wrong.” A familiar voice startles her from her self-pity. The mattress shifts a little and a hand touches her hair, getting it away from her face. Trini opens her eyes to see Kimberly lying down next to her.

“Sorry about leaving you there.” Trini quickly tries to wipe her tears away and look more presentable.

“It’s okay. I had to say a few words to your mom anyway. I’m probably getting kicked out though.”

Trini frowns, “What? What happened?”

“I made a scene, yelled at Anita because I hate how she makes you feel.” Kim sighs, her head lightly hitting the pillow.

“You didn’t have to do that. It’s not like she’s gonna change anyway.”

“Yeah, but I had to try.”

Trini takes a deep breath, “I’m sorry about what she said to you.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Trini closes her eyes forcefully, “It kinda is. I was the one who asked you to be here.”

Kim gently caresses Trini’s cheek, looking at her adoringly, “I chose to be here.”

The short girl’s face softens, and she opens her eyes again, glancing back at Kimberly.

“Thank you for that.”

“Anytime.”

Trini slowly runs her fingers through Kim’s hair, admiring the girl in front of her. Her heart clenches with longing. She glances at Kimberly’s lips, then back at her eyes.

“You know, I would choose you.” Kim mumbles, her cheeks getting rosy, her heart beating in her ears. _She has to say it._

“What do you mean?”

“Earlier, your mother said a girl like me would never go for a girl like you, and you believed her, but she’s wrong. I would love to be with a girl like y- Fuck it. I would love to be with _you._ ” Kimberly takes a deep breath before continuing, “I _want_ you, Trini. And I want to be with you and I want to kiss you and hold your hand and be around you and just- I really want you, Trini.”

Trini’s eyes widen in surprise, _did Kimberly just say that?_ She glances at the girl and catches her staring at Trini’s lips.

“Do you want me?” Kim asks, suddenly unsure.

Trini shifts on the bed, getting closer to Kimberly. “I want you more than anything, princesa.” She replies, her thumb lightly caressing Kim’s lower lip, “I want you. So much.”

Kim thinks her heart might explode, Trini’s words make her feel warm and fuzzy, and her stomach fills with butterflies. She leans in and they get so close they can feel the warmth of each other’s breath. Kim glances at Trini’s lips once again, then closes the gap between them, their lips brushing together in a kiss.

Trini’s hand goes to Kimberly’s hair, feeling the dark locks between her fingers, and Kimberly lightly bites Trini’s lower lip, which causes the girl to let out a low moan. She runs her tongue between the short girl’s lips, deepening their kiss.

Trini feels like she’s about to pass out, Kim’s lips are soft and warm, and kissing her is the best feeling Trini’s ever experienced, she never wants it to end. Kim lightly runs her nails against Trini’s back, making the girl’s skin shiver with desire.

Kimberly then finishes the kiss with a few more pecks, and rests her forehead against Trini’s, their eyes still closed. She lets out a contented sigh before lying back down on the bed with a smile.

In silence, Trini settles down with her head on Kim’s chest, her arms around the girl’s waist. Kimberly runs her fingers through Trini’s hair.

“Your heart is beating pretty fast.” Trini comments, closing her eyes.

“Yeah, that’s probably because I just kissed the girl of my dreams and now her head is on my chest and I feel like I’m flying.”

Trini shifts a bit to press a soft kiss to Kim’s lips, blushing.

The truth is, the world might be crumbling down around them, but Trini can’t find it in herself to care. Kimberly Hart _likes her_ and _kissed her_ and Trini just wants to do it again and again until she knows for sure it’s all real.

She knows she’ll have to deal with her mom eventually, and then they still have to take care of Kim’s problems and make sure everything will be alright, but for a few minutes, Trini allows herself to enjoy the moment, hiding her head on Kim’s neck, her face pressed to the girl’s hair. She presses a gentle smooch there.

Trini breathes in. She’s in love with Kimberly and nothing feels as good as being in her arms.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please please let me know if this was okay, i wasn't sure if i should put the kiss in this chapter but it happened and now i'm just flailing my arms around


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m wearing your color. What do I have to do to get it through your thick skull that I have feelings for you, Trini? Should I tattoo your name on my ass? Like, how much more obvious can I get here?” She grabs Trini’s hand, “I told you I want to be with you, dummy. I meant it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this was my favorite chapter to write so far, I hope you guys love it just as much as me!!
> 
> A few things to consider: I took a little longer to update but I think you guys will forgive me for that, right? Come on, I'm dropping almost 5k words on you at once!
> 
> PS: I know Trini's mom's name is June in the movie but when I found out I had already posted the first few characters so now let's just go with Anita since I'm too lazy to change everything haha
> 
> Another ps: they arrived at abuela's on a friday (i need to make this clear cause it was giving me anxiety for some reason lol)
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: panic attack

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Trini sits up on the bed, “Yes?” She mumbles, then letting out a sigh.

A second later, the door opens slightly and Javier’s head pops up, “Can I come in?”

“Of course, papá.”

Javier walks into the room, and sits down on the bottom bunk, technically Diego’s bed.

“I think we need to talk, girls.” He starts, wiping the sweat on his forehead with his hand.

Kimberly quickly sits up, glancing worriedly at the man.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Gomez, please don’t punish Trini for what I did.”

Javier shakes his head, “I won’t, Kimberly. I understand why you said all that. I’m not happy about it but maybe Anita needed to hear it, she was really out of line. And please, call me Javier.”

Kim nods, then sighing in relief.

“What is it, then?” Trini questions, not really sure what to expect.

“A few things. First I wanted to apologize for what your mother said. I hope you know I don’t agree with her, and neither does Yolanda.” He sighs, “I’m sorry for making it hard for you to feel safe and comfortable being who you are. Both of you.”

Then Javier focuses his attention on his daughter, “I don’t say it a lot but… I do love you, mija. And I should’ve been there for you when you needed. I’m so sorry, Trini. I promise I’ll be a better father from now on.” He gently takes her hand on his, “Will you give me another chance?”

Trini jumps into her father’s arms, hugging him like she hadn’t in so long, “Sí, papá. Sí.”

“Thank you,” Javier replies, a wide smile on his face. Then, Trini lets go and sits back next to Kim, whose eyes are teary. She knows she will never have a moment like that with her father.

Trini grabs Kim’s hand in comfort, realizing what the girl was feeling.

“Now, Kimberly… I can see how much you care for my daughter. No one has ever stood up for her like you did earlier.” He looks deep into Kim’s eyes, “You might have been rude and insulted my wife to her face but I can forgive that, I know it came from a good place and you were just trying to protect Trini. However, I strongly advise you to stay away from Anita for the rest of our stay.”

Kim nods, not knowing how to respond to that.

“She asked me to drive both of you home because she’s really angry, but I won’t do that. This is Yolanda’s place, and she wants you to stay. Besides, I’m sure Anita’s mood will be better tomorrow. Is there anything you girls would like to say?”

Trini shakes her head no, and Kimberly mumbles a low “Not really.”

“Okay.” Javier then gets up, presses a kiss to Trini’s head, then to Kimberly’s, and leaves without another word.

\---

“What is wrong with you, Anita? Why would you say those horrible things to the girls? Are you actively trying to make your daughter despise you?” Yolanda growls, still seated at the dinner table.

Anita stares at her own plate, not saying anything back.

“Answer me, estúpida!” The old woman keeps talking, “Where are your manners? Díos mío! If you weren’t so old you’d get the chancla!” She smashes her closed fist on the table, startling her daughter.

“Mamá! Deja de gritar!” Anita complains, frowning and avoiding her mother’s eyes.

“¡Cállate! Why are you behaving like a child?” Yolanda gets up from her seat, extremely disappointed and upset. “You told me earlier today that you wanted to work things out with Trini, what changed? Look at me when I speak to you, Anita María de la Rosa García Gomez!” She smacks her upside the head.

“Ay! I’m an adult, mamá, give me a break! You can’t just do that!” Anita rubs the back of her head, then gets up, “I get it, I went too far, okay? But you beating me won’t change that! And you have to agree that _Kimberly_ sure is impertinent!” She grabs everyone’s forgotten dishes and starts loading them on the sink.

Yolanda rolls her eyes tiredly, and helps Anita with the tableware, “You had it coming, let’s be honest, mija. I’m a fan of Kimberly’s now, I wish _she_ was my daughter.” She lets out a laugh.

Anita shakes her head in annoyance, “I got this, mamá, go watch tv or something.”

“You’re just trying to get rid of me because you don’t like what I have to say.”

“Well, that too.”

\---

Kimberly steps into the dark living room, illuminated only by a night light, wearing black sweatpants and a yellow tank top. Trini is seated on the open sofa-bed, with plaid pajama pants and a grey shirt on, holding her cellphone to her ear. Her back is turned to Kim, and the girl’s presence hasn’t been noticed yet.

“-not allowed to tell Jason or Billy, okay? I’m not even sure what we are, let’s not get too hopeful… She might still turn me down, Zack.” Trini scratches the back of her head, Zack probably saying something to her, “I know, but she might not have been serious, man.” She sighs, her shoulders tensing up. “And stop calling me big T, it’s weird and for some reason makes me think of the word titties.”

Kim silently makes her way to her friend, sitting down behind her and hugging her by the waist. Trini gets startled, but relaxes when she notices it’s Kimberly.

“I gotta go, dude, Kim just got here. Talk to you tomorrow, alright?”

Zack replies something Kim can’t quite hear.

“Yeah, you too, tonto. Goodnight.” And Trini hangs up, dropping her phone on the bed. “Did you hear any of that?”

Kim rests her chin on top of Trini’s shoulder, pulling her closer.

“Well… all I got was something about titties. And maybe you not wanting to get hopeful… that I might still turn you down or something.”

Trini tenses in Kim’s arms, “Yeah… I was hoping you wouldn’t hear that part.”

Kimberly plants a kiss to Trini’s neck and another one to her cheek. “We clearly need to talk, don’t we?”

The short girl feels her face getting hot.

“Yeah.”

Kim gives Trini another peck on the cheek, this one lasting longer, then lets go of the girl and lies down on what she supposes is her side of the bed. Trini stays still, seated tensely at the edge. Kimberly lightly nudges her back.

“Look at me, T.”

Trini sighs, then turning her body around oddly, glancing at her friend. She notices the yellow shirt.

“I’m wearing your color. What do I have to do to get it through your thick skull that I have feelings for you, Trini? Should I tattoo your name on my ass? Like, how much more obvious can I get here?” She grabs Trini’s hand, “I told you I want to be with you, dummy. I meant it.”

Kim lightly pulls Trini to get her to lie down. The short girl’s cheeks are blushed and she thanks god for the dark living room making it hard to notice.

“I didn’t want to assume.” She mumbles. Kimberly stops playing with Trini’s fingers for a second.

“You’re unbelievable.” She holds Trini’s hand to her lips, pressing a sweet kiss to the girl’s palm. “I promise I’m telling you the truth. Do I need to get sappy? Cuz I can talk all about how you make me feel and how I don’t deserve y-“

Trini cuts Kimberly off with a quick kiss. There’s no way she’s letting this girl put herself down.

“Okay, okay, fine. I believe you. But if you say one more word about not deserving me I swear I’m kicking you in the face.” She sighs, then gently rubbing her thumb over Kim’s jaw, “Do you think I’m good enough for you?”

Kimberly nods fast, “Of course! Trini, you might actually be too good for me!”

“Not what I asked. My point is, you think I’m too good for you just like I think you’re too good for me. Can’t we just agree we’re enough for each other?”

It’s quiet for a few seconds, Kim taking her time coming up with an answer.

Trini pouts, slightly tilting her head, “You know feelings make me uncomfortable, Kimmy… Just say you agree with me, please, I don’t want to have to keep talking about this.” She gently puts a lock of Kimberly’s hair behind her ear. “I’m willing to be more open about how I feel if you do the same, just- just let me show you how good you are in my eyes.”

“Alright.” Kim finally agrees, a fake annoyed tone to her voice. She presses a warm kiss to Trini’s lips. “If you like me then that must mean there’s something good about me, right?”

“Now we’re talking!” Trini smirks, “You look good in yellow, by the way.”

Kimberly smiles back, “I bet you’d look good in pink.”

Trini teasingly wraps her arms around the other girl. “Maybe.”

Kim takes a deep relaxing breath. She never would have guessed that’s how the day was going to end. Her heart still hasn’t stopped racing in happiness since Trini kissed her for the first time.

But then she remembers Anita’s vicious words and her worry starts to build up.

“Can I be the big spoon tonight?” Kimberly asks, feeling the urge to protect Trini’s body with her own, to shelter her from the outside world.

Trini thinks about it for a minute, but ends up accepting the offer.

Kimberly and Trini’s bodies fit together perfectly, almost as if they were pieces of a puzzle. _Ugh, how cliché._ They feel like home.

\---

Trini jumps awake with a painful grunt, sweat dripping from her forehead, her shirt clinging to her body. She forces her eyes open and kicks the sheets away in desperation. She’s alone on the sofa-bed and the lights are way too bright.

Trini’s ribs feel tight like they’re squeezing her lungs and she tries to breathe deeply but it feels like the oxygen is not reaching her. The nightmare still flashes through her brain. She grips at her chest in agony but it doesn’t help.

“Kim!?” Her throat aches, but she pushes the word out, looking around the living room.

Anita is seated on the other couch, a mug of something that smells familiar on her hand, the newspaper on the other. She raises her eyebrow at Trini, not understanding her desperation.

“She’s busy.” Is what the woman replies, not even looking up at her daughter.

Trini suddenly feels worse, the void inside her gets bigger and bigger. Her hands and feet tingle almost painfully, going numb. She doesn’t know what is happening to her body, which makes everything more frightening.

“No, I’m not.” Kimberly growls, walking into the living room. She glances at the small terrified looking girl clutching her chest, her eyes wide, hyperventilating. Kim quickly makes her way to Trini with a worried expression on her features. “I’m here.” She softly runs her fingers through Trini’s hair, taking it away from her face.

“I think- I think I’m-“ She stutters out, grabbing Kimberly’s arm and squeezing it when she can’t finish her sentence.

Kim nods in understanding, then glancing quickly at Anita, who still hasn’t moved from her seat.

“Your daughter is having a panic attack and you’re reading the news? For God’s sake, go grab her a glass of water!”

Anita widens her eyes in surprise, but folds the newspaper and gets up from the couch to do as asked.

Kim focuses on Trini, trying to look as calm as possible. “Trini, I need you to trust me right now, do you trust me?” She nods in response. “Good. You’re gonna be alright, just focus on me, okay?” Another nod.

“Now,” She grabs Trini’s hands, “Breathe with me, come on. Inhale… exhale… in… and out. That’s it, good job. One more time, in… and out…”

They do that for a few minutes until Anita gets back with the water. She puts it on the coffee table and sits down where she was previously seated, and sneaks a few glances towards the girls’ direction.

“Good girl, now I’m going to need you to keep breathing just like that, alright?” Trini nods, “Do you want to try and drink some water?”

When the girl agrees, Kim lets go of one of her hands to get the cup from the table, then offers it to Trini, who grabs it and downs it incredibly fast. Once she’s done, Kimberly takes the cup from her and puts it back where it was, before holding Trini’s hand once again.

“Tell me, where are we?” Kim questions, seriously. Trini frowns.

“In- in the living room.”

“Yeah, but try to be more specific.”

“Abuela’s house.”

Kimberly nods, satisfied, “What day is it?”

Trini frowns once more, “Saturday. Why are you- why are you asking these stupid questions?”

Kim drops one of the girl’s hands and gently caresses Trini’s cheek. “Trust me, T. Can you tell me five things you see right now?”

Trini gives up questioning Kim, and tries to focus on her breathing, “Okay. Hm, you, the tv, … the- the couch?, the table, and… the cup?”

“Good. Now, four things you hear?” Kimberly smiles kindly at her friend, rubbing her thumbs over Trini’s knuckles as delicately as she can.

Anita’s eyes are glued to the girls’ interaction, watching everything in silence.

Trini nods and concentrates for a moment, closing her eyes, “I hear the fan, uh,… traffic, the neighbors speaking way too loud, and… I don’t know, does my own voice count?”

“Sure, that’s okay. Three things you smell?” Kim notices Trini sounds a lot calmer and more controlled, her breathing getting regular. She allows herself to feel relieved about it.

Trini takes a deep breath, “Coffee.” Then again, “That smell that lingers after rain.” Kim nods. “And you.” She smiles shyly at Kimberly, who opens a wide smirk.

“Ooh, what do I smell like?”

“I don’t know, lavender or something like that? I’m not great at picking out specific smells.” Her cheeks blush in a light shade of pink.

Kim nods, “You’re right though, it is probably lavender.” She shakes her head lightly and runs the fingers of her free hand through her hair, Trini gets hit by the scent right away. “My shampoo.” She beams, then bringing Trini’s palm to her lips and pressing a kiss to it. “Now, how do you feel? A little better?”

Trini’s cheeks get even redder, and she widens her eyes realizing she can breathe properly and her body doesn’t hurt anymore.

“How did you do it?” The short girl asks, honest.

“Do what?”

“Make it go away.”

Kim shakes her head, “It was nothing, I just guided you through it. You should get the credit, you did a great job, Trini. We make a pretty good team.”

Trini feels something she can’t ignore, so she just grabs Kim’s face and plants a warm kiss to her lips. After letting go of the girl’s jaw, she grins, “Thank you, princesa.” From the other side of the room, Anita widens her eyes.

“Anytime. I’ll be more than happy to get kisses as reward, what else can I help you with?” Kim smirks silly.

Trini rolls her eyes in fake annoyance, “Would you like some water, ma’am? You look thirsty.” She teases, drawing laughter from the other girl.

Kimberly gets up from her seat with a low “shut up”. She lifts Trini’s chin and presses a soft peck to her full lips. “Come on, you need breakfast.”

With that, Kim walks to the kitchen, leaving Trini on the sofa-bed with a wide smile on her face and blushed cheeks.

Trini glances at Anita, who looks thoughtful and quiet. Hopefully she’ll stay like that.

\---

Yolanda is almost done washing the dishes, with Kimberly drying them and Trini putting everything away, when the doorbell rings. The older woman smiles in excitement and wipes her hands on a dish cloth.

 “It must be your tíos!” She exclaims to her granddaughter, whose eyes widen in shock.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me they were coming over?” Trini starts walking around the kitchen with worry all over her face. “What am I supposed to say? How do I introduce Kim as? ¡Abuela, ayúdame! You can’t let them in yet!” She grips at Yolanda’s arm.

Kim rubs Trini’s back in support but doesn’t say anything.

“I don’t even remember all of the questions you just asked, mi amor.” Yolanda replies, jokingly. “Relax, it’ll be alright. Tell her, Kim. I have to answer the door.” And with that, the old woman walks out of the kitchen.

Kimberly squeezes Trini’s shoulders in support, “You don’t have to tell them if you don’t feel comfortable, T. You know that, right?”

Trini turns around to look at Kim, “I know, it’s just- I don’t know, I’m a little overwhelmed right now, I wish abuela would have told me this earlier so I could prepare myself.”

“Yeah, I understand. Should I give you some space?” She hesitantly takes a step away from Trini, who grabs her hands and keeps her where she is.

“No! No! No, please, stay. I want to have you around, Kim.”

Kimberly nods in understanding and opens a small smile. Trini takes a deep breath and closes her eyes in thought before speaking again.

“I think I will introduce you just by your name at first, is that okay? Then depending on how things go I might tell them we’re- wait, we haven’t talked about this. Are we dating? Díos mío, what are we?” She shakes her head, “I don’t want to pressure you into a relationship so quickly! Fuck. I’m sorry, Kim, we can be whatever you want us to be-“

Kimberly then interrupts Trini by softly kissing her forehead. She would have kissed her on the lips but with Trini’s relatives around that didn’t feel like a great idea.

“You’re rambling, Trin. You can tell them whatever you want, I don’t mind. But just so you know, I do want to be your girlfriend, even if it might seem a little soon for that.”

Trini almost pulls Kim in for what would be the biggest kiss of her life but she hears voices and footsteps getting closer so she stops herself and just nervously nods to the girl.

They will have to come back to that later.

“Trini! Come see tío Eduardo and tía Frankie! They brought your cousin Mia!” Yolanda calls from the living room.

\---

“You’re so big!” A tall dark-skinned woman, who Kimberly assumes to be tía Frankie, exclaims enthusiastically, as soon as she sees Trini. The short latino man standing next to her grins. He’s holding a little girl.

“Don’t lie to her, Frankie! Our sobrina is just as short as the last time we’ve seen her!” He jokes, getting an eyeroll from Trini.

“So are you, Ed. And you’re just as annoying.” The teenager replies, approaching her relatives. Kim walks behind her with an amused look on her face.

Tío Eduardo has always been Trini’s favorite, he used to be just like a big brother to her when she was little. As they got older and moved away from each other, their relationship changed a bit, but every time they get together it looks like time hasn’t passed at all.

Eduardo smiles at his niece. “Thank you, shorty. Now come give your favorite family members a hug.” He motions at himself, Frankie, and the little girl in his arms, who looks remarkably tired.

Kimberly takes the whole scene in. It’s so different seeing Trini like that, hugging people and making jokes so casually, it makes her heart warm.

Javier, Anita, and the twins greet the new visitors as well, but Kim doesn’t pay attention to them, keeping her eyes on Trini, who suddenly glances back at her.

“Kim, these are my uncle Eduardo, my aunt Frankie, and my cousin Mia, who might actually be asleep.” She comments, “This is Kimberly Hart.” Trini grimaces at herself for a second, not satisfied with her words.

Frankie and Eduardo smile politely at Kim, who shakes their hands with a friendly grin.

“Nice to meet you, Kimberly Hart.” Eduardo teases, “I’m Eduardo Thomas. I used to be Eduardo Gomez but I got married to this one.” He motions to Frankie, who rolls her eyes and grins.

“Wait, you got her last name?” Kim asks, curious. Trini giggles next to her.

“Yeah, he made a bet with Frankie and lost.” The short girl explains, “He thought they were having a boy.”

\---

A few minutes later, Yolanda and Anita excuse themselves to go get some coffee. The twins go outside to play and Javier joins Trini and Kim’s conversation with Eduardo and Frankie, who had left for a second to put their sleeping daughter on the guest room bed and came back soon after.

Eduardo and Frankie are seated in one of the couches, with Kimberly, Trini, and Javier sharing the other.

“So tell me, are you girls dating anyone? Kimberly, you look like you might break a lot of boys’ hearts.” Frankie comments, earning a hard laugh from Javier.

Trini and Kim look at each other nervously. _Do you want to say it? Should I?_

“Actually, tía Frankie, I _am_ dating someone. And so is Kim.” Trini replies, a forced smile on her face.

Frankie and Eduardo widen their eyes in surprise to hear their niece is not single.

“Really? That’s great!” Eduardo asks, not disguising his shock. Javier keeps grinning on his seat. “Why are you so smiley, Javier? You know something we don’t?”

Javier shrugs, then throwing a glance his daughter’s way.

“He does.” Trini smirks. She stares at Eduardo, waiting for him to ask.

“Ooh what is it? I love gossip. Is it about your _boyfriend_?” He questions teasingly, at the edge of his seat.

Kim’s heart beats fast inside her chest, _has she ever really come out to anyone?_ She looks at Trini, who sends her a reassuring look.

“Papá is laughing because I’m dating Kim.” Trini rips off the band-aid, then takes Kimberly’s hand in hers, giving it a comforting squeeze.

She waits for the insults, the disgust, but gets nothing.

“Oh! Cool! Sorry I assumed you were dating a guy, I didn’t know.” Eduardo corrects himself, apologetic.

Trini looks taken aback by the response. “Uh, don’t worry about it.”

“You do make a cute couple.” Frankie comments, a kind smile on her face.

“Thank you, both of you.” Trini replies. Javier pulls his daughter in for a one-armed hug. Kim breathes in relief, lightly rubbing Trini’s knuckles with her thumb.

\---

“I don’t know, mom, I think we leave tomorrow after lunch.” Kim speaks into the phone.

She’s sitting alone in a bench on the front yard, Trini had gone inside to get them some tea while she answered her mother’s call. Yolanda’s cat is sprawled out on Kimberly’s lap, purring.

_"That’s okay, just please call me when you get here.”_

“I will.” She responds, then letting out a nervous sigh, “Hey, mom…”

_“Yes?”_

“Would you- would you still love me if I wasn’t exactly the way you wanted me to be?”

Kim knows if she closed her eyes she’d be able to see her mother’s confused frown.

_“Kimberly, what are you talking about? I’m your mother, and a mother’s love should be unconditional. Are you trying to tell me something? Is everything okay?”_

Kimberly looks up at the starry night sky, “So you _would_ still love me?” She can feel her heart beating in her ears and her palms are sweaty in anxiety.

_“You’re starting to worry me, honey. I would love you no matter what. Please tell me what’s going on, I know I’ve been absent the last few months but you know I'm trying to be more present now. This drama with your father made me neglect you a lot more than I should. Is this about him? Do you want to see him? Is that what you’re talking about?”_

Her mother’s voice sounds concerned but understanding at the same time.

Kim takes a deep breath, “No, mom, I don’t want to see dad and this is not about him. It’s about- Do you remember Trini?”

_“Of course I remember Trini, she’s the freakishly strong girl who punched your father in the face. What about her? Is everything okay there? Is her family alright?”_

“Everything is fine. It’s just- mom, I’m- I’m bisexual.” Kim closes her eyes tightly.

_“Okay but what does that have to do with your friend Trini?”_

“Wait, okay? What do you mean ‘okay’?” Kim starts shaking her foot in a nervous tic, which seems to annoy the orange cat, making it jump out of the girl’s lap.

_“Okay as in I understand. Honey, are you alright? You’re starting to sound a little odd. You still haven’t explained what Trini has to do with you being bisexual. Or even your dramatic first question, for that matter.”_

“I want to date Trini, mom. I’m bisexual and I want to date Trini and I might actually already be dating her and I was worried about your reaction.” Kim spills, staring at a particular star formation she thinks looks like a pterodactyl.

Her mother’s laugh echoes in her head. _“That’s all? Dear, you know I love Trini. I wouldn’t mind if she joined the family. I am very sorry I made you think it wasn’t safe to come out to me though.”_

“So you’re fine with it?”

_“Of course I am.”_ Kimberly lets out a relieved sigh and relaxes.

“Thank you, mom. I love you.”

_“I love you too, dear. Goodnight.”_

“Goodnight.” She hangs up. Kim smiles tiredly, that went a lot better than she was expecting.

She’s shaken from her thoughts when Trini suddenly offers her a steaming mug of tea. Kimberly takes it and the girl sits down next to her taking a sip of her own mug.

“When did you get here?”

“Like a second ago. Everything alright?” Trini replies, glancing at Kim, who opens a wide smile.

“I just came out to my mom.” She says, before downing her tea and surprisingly not burning herself with the hot liquid.

Trini grins, “Kim! I’m so happy for you! That’s amazing! It went well, right? I mean, you’re smiling, of course it went well, duh.”

Kimberly puts the mug next to her on the bench, and rests her head on Trini’s shoulder. “It did. And for some reason she really likes you. I don’t know why, _I_ don’t even like you.” She teases.

“That’s mean, Kimmy. I come here, all nice and ready to give you some love, I bring you tea, and you attack me like this. Wow, that’s a low blow, I might have to find a better girlfriend.”

Kim raises her head from Trini’s shoulder and pulls the girl in for a searing kiss that takes her breath away. Trini grabs a fistful of Kim’s hair and gives it a light pull, and Kimberly, in return, bites into her partner’s lower lip, then running her tongue over it.

Trini welcomes not only butterflies, but an entire zoo in her stomach from how alive Kimberly makes her feel. She smiles into the kiss and her heart feels full.

“I’m your girlfriend?” Kim questions, a light grin on her lips, swollen from their passionate kiss.

“You are. I mean, you are, right?”

“I am.” She presses a soft peck to her girlfriend’s smile.

“I’m proud of you, princesa.” Trini mumbles when their lips part.

“And I’m proud of you,” Kim stops for a second to think, “T-bear?”

Trini lets out a loud laugh, “That’s the worst nickname I’ve ever heard.”

“I’m sure I can come up with worse ones.” She gently cups Trini’s face and plants another quick kiss to her lips.

When they separate, Trini holds Kimberly close and breathes in the lavender scent of her hair. “Can we go to bed? I feel like I’ve been up for 50 hours.” She yawns.

Kim nods, then pressing a loving peck to Trini’s head.

When they lie together on the sofa-bed and Trini wraps her arms around Kim, pressing every inch of their bodies together, Kimberly knows for sure that she’s never felt so in love with someone the way she is now. And Trini, comically almost choking on Kim’s hair, feels the same. She brushes a few strands away, presses her face against the back of the girl’s neck, and falls asleep with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think? Let me know!
> 
> Also, thank you so much for all of the love and support and the amazing response to this story!! When I think you guys can't make me smile more with such great comments and kudos, you go and surprise me! I love this fandom <3
> 
> btw i think we're getting near the end of this :(
> 
> The next update will probably take longer, maybe a week or so, because my college exams start this monday and I won't have time to write. But get ready for the last part of their visit to abuela's, the boys finding out, and a lot more stuff.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini hides her face on Kim’s chest, “I hate you.”
> 
> “No, you don’t.”
> 
> “No, I don’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... sorry for the wait. I'm not all that happy with this chapter but whatever, I guess. 
> 
> I still have a few things planned so I would say this story might have about two chapters left, maybe three. I'm already planning another multichapter Trini x Kim fic so don't hate me for ending this one if you like it!
> 
> Anyway, I still have one more test to take but hopefully I won't be as busy this week so I might post another chapter on Friday.

Anita walks by the living room looking for Trini. She wanted to talk to the girl after everything and try to make things right between them, but it looks like she’s too late, because Trini is asleep, her arms wrapped around Kimberly’s body keeping her close.

The woman sighs tiredly. Maybe tomorrow.

She can’t help but notice how at peace Trini looks in that moment, spooning the girl she loves. Anita’s heart clenches painfully as she remembers how much hurt she’s been causing her family by not being there for her daughter, by rejecting her and making her feel like she’s some kind of abomination.

All that for what? Her beliefs have been bringing out nothing but the worst of her. She yelled at Kimberly, made Trini cry, got her mother upset, and Javier has been cold towards her ever since her outburst of anger. She never intended on making this happen. Anita hates to admit she’s wrong but in this case, with everyone against her, it really looks like she owns Trini - and Kimberly - an apology.

She spent all day thinking about it. Trini’s sexuality. Trini’s relationship. Anita loves her daughter, and as religious as she is, maybe it’s time for her to try to see this differently. Is she supposed to stop loving her daughter because of who she loves? That doesn’t seem right.

Trini is not going to change, there’s nothing she can do about who she is. All Anita wanted for her daughter was happiness and love. And it might not be the way she envisioned it at first, but it seems like Trini’s already got it. Kimberly treats her well, makes her laugh, helps her when she’s in need, supports her decisions, and she’s fiercely protective of the girl. Hell, she protected Trini from Anita herself when the woman was harsher than she should have been.

So no, it’s not what she wanted, not what she planned for her daughter, but isn’t that what Trini deserves? Someone who loves and respects her? Someone like Kimberly?

Anita sighs, she still feels weird about it, but maybe it’s time for her to actually make an effort, to try to understand. She doesn’t want to lose Trini.

She turns around and vows to talk to her daughter tomorrow.

\---

“Are you and Kimberly like mommy and daddy?”

Trini’s eyes widen with her cousin’s question. She shifts the little girl on her lap and searches for her uncle’s eyes. _How am I supposed to answer this?_

Eduardo gently nods from his place on the other couch, a warm smile on his face.

“Uh…” Trini hesitates, trying to look for the right words, “a little bit?”

Mia stares at her, still curious, “Uh?”

She sighs, “Well, your parents have been together for a very long time.”

“And?”

Eduardo lets out a laugh, and Trini glares at him.

“Kimberly and I haven’t been together that long. We don’t live together and we don’t, uh, we don’t have children.”

Mia looks a little more satisfied with Trini’s answer, but doesn’t give up. “But you hug and kiss?”

“Yes, we do that.”

Kimberly’s laughter fills the living room and Trini’s face gets hot. The shorter girl glances at her, silently begging Kim to come closer and sit down next to her on the couch. That and maybe taking Mia away from her and answering her questions so that Trini doesn’t have to.

“Why?” The small girl in Trini’s lap asks, and Eduardo laughs again. Kimberly quickly sits next to her girlfriend, drawing the child’s attention to herself.

“Because we like each other very much.” Kim responds, a genuine smile on her face. Trini lets out a tired sigh for what seems to be the seventh time in the conversation.

Mia nods, “Do you kiss and hug everybody you like a lot?”

“Depends. I hug and kiss other people in a different way.”

Kimberly seems comfortable talking to the young girl, while Trini just waits anxiously for the questions to stop coming.

“Why?”

“Because Trini and I really really really like each other. And I don’t like other people the same way I like her.” Kim glances at Trini, who’s blushing again.

“But why-“

“Mija, you can ask them more questions later, come on.” Eduardo interrupts.

“But-“

“We can get you some ice cream, what do you think?”

Mia jumps off Trini’s lap as soon as she hears “ice cream” and runs to her father, who gets up from his seat and leads her to kitchen.

Kimberly laughs, “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed.” She mumbles to Trini, enveloping the girl in a side hug.

“Shut up, princesa.”

Kim presses a quick kiss to her girlfriend’s head. “What time are we leaving, sunflower?”

Trini shakes her head in annoyance, “In about an hour. And nope. You’re not calling me that.”

“Why not?”

“Because… because it’s corny. And gay.” She tries to hide her blushing face but doesn’t succeed.

Kimberly smirks, “One, since when do you not like corny? You call me princess, for God’s sake. And two, I don’t know if you know this, my love, but you’re dating a girl. That’s pretty gay.”

Trini gently pushes Kim away, letting out an annoyed grunt, “I’m okay with corny when we’re alone, but I know you’re gonna end up calling me by that stupid nickname in front of the guys and my bad girl image will be seriously damaged.”

Kimberly pulls Trini on her lap, her heart beating fast when she realizes she can do that all the time now. “So does that mean I get to call you sunflower when we’re alone? Come on, it’s cute!” She smirks.

Trini hides her face on Kim’s chest, “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“No, I don’t.”

“I can call you other things if you really don’t like sunflower.” Kimberly comments, drawing lazy circles on Trini’s back with her hand.

“Like what?” Trini adjusts her position so her face is no longer pressed against her girlfriend’s chest.

“I have a list.”

“You have a list.” Trini stares at Kim, her eyebrows raised.

“I have a list.” Kimberly insists.

“Kimmy, when did you even have time to make up a list of cheesy nicknames for me?”

Kim smiles, “You do know I’ve had a crush on you for ages.” Her cheeks get red, “I used to daydream about you a lot, alright? And in my dreams, I would call you by so many stupid nicknames… I never thought I would ever get to do that in real life.” She looks down at her hand on Trini’s legs and fidgets with her fingers.

Trini plants a smooch to Kimberly’s cheek. “You can call me whatever you like.” She takes Kim’s hand on hers, “As long as I get to call you mine.”

Kimberly looks back at her, letting out an adorable giggle, “That. Was corny.” She pecks Trini’s lips.

“See? You’re already ruining my bad girl cred.”

“She says, while seated on her girlfriend’s lap, being held and kissed.” Kim teases.

“Well, bad girls deserve love too.” Trini replies, pouting.

“Oh, do they?”

“They do.” She insists.

“Well, do you know any bad girls you could introduce me to? I don’t see any around here.” Trini tries to get up, but Kim keeps her where she is.

“I’m offended, Kimberly.”

“Aw, baby. You’re my bad girl.” She presses several kisses to Trini’s face. “And you can bet your ass you’re getting all my love.”

Trini feels her face getting hot, she’s so in love with this girl. Her stomach fills with butterflies. Kimberly Hart makes her feel so good, and so… appreciated. She doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to it.

\---

“Kimberly, I hope this isn’t the last time I see you.” Yolanda comments, after hugging Kim goodbye.

“I agree with you, but that’s up to Trini, I think.” 

Trini raises her brow, “Oh, really? If it’s up to me then you’re never getting away, princesa.” She wraps her arm around Kimberly’s waist and rests her head on the girl’s shoulder.

“Call me if your mother keeps giving you a hard time, Trini.” Yolanda says, “And don’t forget to come back again soon. Both of you.”

Trini smiles warmly at her grandmother, “Will do, abuelita. Thank you for everything.”

“There’s no need for that, I’m only doing the bare minimum as a decent human being.” She replies, squeezing Trini’s hand in support.

“You’re my hero, Yolanda.” Kimberly exclaims, letting out a joyful laugh.

“Same.” Trini adds.

Yolanda smiles wide, “Thank you girls. You’re making this old hag blush.”

Trini cackles, followed by Kim. She wills this moment to stay in her memory. She loves her abuela so much, and this visit has only made her more sure of that. It’s a little sad to go back home after everything that’s happened over the course of this weekend.

\---

Javier parks the car in front of Kimberly’s house. The air is still a bit tense even with Juan Pablo and Diego’s consistent chitchat.

“Trini, would you mind staying at Kim’s for a few hours? Your mother and I need to have a talk and it would be better if you weren’t around for that. I’m dropping your brothers off at a friend’s place until dinner.” The man questions, his hands tight around the steering wheel.

“Sure, papá.”

“Is that okay, Kimberly? Sorry, I didn’t want to assume.”

Kim nods from the backseat, “Of course, Mr. Gomez.”

“Great. I’ll be back to pick you up later, mija.”

Trini opens the door and climbs out the car, “Wait, do I take my backpack with me or…”

“Leave it, I’ll take it to your room when we get home.”

“Alright then, see you all later.”

Kimberly follows Trini out the car. “Goodbye, Mr. G. Diego, Juan Pablo, try not to have too much fun without me.” She comments.

“Bye bye, Kim!” Diego replies, waving his hand enthusiastically.

Juan Pablo smiles, “Bye!”

A few seconds later, the car pulls away from the parking spot and leaves. Trini sighs.

“Sorry about that, princesa. I know you could barely wait to get rid of me.” She teases.

Kimberly gently pushes her away, “Dork.”

\---

“Mom? I’m home!” Kim calls out, dropping her heavy backpack on the couch. Not a minute later, her mother appears, a kind smile on her face.

“Honey! I missed you!” The woman quickly pulls her daughter in for a hug. “Hello, Trini! How are you, my dear?” She surprises Trini by hugging her as well.

“Oh, hi, Mrs. Hart. I’m good, thank you. What about you?” Trini glances confusedly at Kimberly, who shrugs.

“Please, call me Navya, you’re part of the family now! I’m amazing actually, Ryan dropped by yesterday to get his things. Surprisingly, he didn’t give me much trouble. Would that have anything to do with you?” She holds Trini’s hands in hers.

Trini looks around, awkwardly, “I- I don’t know, all I really did was, uh-“

“Break his wrist? It was bandaged when I saw him.”

Kimberly opens her mouth in shock, _did Trini do that?_ She still doesn’t remember everything in detail from the day everything went down with her father.

Trini frowns, “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have, but when he came to he kept saying some really mean things about you and Kim, I couldn’t help it.” She sighs, “That and I also said if he ever tried to bother you guys I’d do worse. Now I realise that might have been slightly illegal, you know, the whole threatening thing, and the violence thing, of course.” Trini forcefully closes her eyes, “Man, can he press charges against me? My mother will not be happy.”

When Trini opens her eyes again, Kimberly and her mother are staring gratefully at her. Kim embraces her in a tight hug.

“I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me?” She asks, her voice muffled by Trini’s neck.

“Are you kidding me? I didn’t want to make you relive that awful day, remember how you got? You were frozen, Kim. I didn’t know what to do.” Trini rubs comforting circles on her girlfriend’s back. Navya smiles at the girls.

“Fair enough.” Kimberly lets go of Trini to glance at her mother, “Trini is staying over for a few hours, is that okay?”

The woman nods, “Of course.” She looks at the short girl, “You’re always welcome here, my dear. I mean it. Not just because you’re my daughter’s girlfriend. I’m very thankful to you, Trini. What you’ve done for me, and for Kimberly- you’re a good person. I hope you know you can count on me for whatever you need.”

Trini avoids Navya’s eyes, shy. She doesn’t think she deserves all that. “Thank you, Mrs. Hart.”

“Didn’t I just ask you to call me Navya, dear?”

Kimberly laughs, “Just drop it, mom, Trini’s stubborn.”

“Fine. Call me whatever you want.” She smiles, “Now, both of you will have to excuse me, if you need me I’ll be on my office.”

“Alright, we’ll be on my room.” Kim replies, already pulling Trini up the stairs by the hand.

\---

“So…” Trini comments, her head resting on Kimberly’s lap on the bed.

Kim gently caresses her girlfriend’s scalp, messing with her phone with her free hand.

“So?” She replies, glancing at Trini.

“You do remember what we discussed a few days ago, right?”

Kimberly puts down her cellphone. “You might have to remind me, we discuss a lot of things, T.”

Trini sits up and grabs her girlfriend’s hand, giving it a soft squeeze, “Therapy.”

“Therapy.” Kim echoes, avoiding Trini’s eyes.

“Right, therapy. You promised you’d give it a try, princesa…”

Kimberly lets out a little squeak. Trini cups Kim’s cheek, and the girl hesitantly looks back at her girlfriend with tear filled eyes.

“I’m scared, Trini.”

Trini softly pulls the girl into a comforting hug, “Talk to me. What are you scared of?” She lies them down on the bed and rubs her girlfriend’s back lovingly.

“I’m gonna have to face the awful things I’ve done, Trini. I’m- I’m scared of finding out I’m not who I think I am.”

“And what is that?”

“I don’t know, even worse than I already _know_ I am.” Kim grabs a fistful of Trini’s shirt and squeezes the cloth nervously.

Trini lets out a sad sigh, “Baby, I promise you’re not a bad person. Do you think I would be dating you if you were as bad as you think you are?”

Kimberly hesitantly shakes her head no.

“Is that all that’s worrying you? There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Yeah…”

Trini runs her fingers through Kim’s short locks, “Come on, lay it on me.”

Kimberly sniffles, “What if I’m too broken to be fixed?”

Trini’s heart clenches inside her chest, it really hurts to see Kim like this.

“Kimberly Ann Hart, you will get better, I promise you. But even if you didn’t, I would still be right by your side, okay? You are not alone. And I know it’s scary, but it will be okay. Do you trust me?”

Kimberly nods, squeezing Trini just a little tighter in her arms.

“I promise I’ve got your back. I want you to be comfortable, princesa, I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. But I highly encourage you to do this, it’s very important. You might be better than you were a few months ago but it’s still important that we make sure you stay that way, don’t you think? I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because we neglected your mental health.”

Kim is quiet for a few minutes, but then looks up at her girlfriend vulnerably, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I will talk to a psychologist, I’ve already mentioned it to my mom, she liked the idea.” Her features get serious. “But you have to do it too.”

“What, talk to your mom?”

“No, therapy.”

Trini frowns, “Why though? I’m alright as far as I know.”

Kimberly sits up. “You had a panic attack not two days ago, Trini. Can you please do it for me? I worry about you too.”

Trini sighs and rubs her neck, “That was nothing, you helped me out of it, I’m sure it won’t happen again.”

“Sunflower.” She grabs Trini’s hands and presses kisses to her knuckles, “Please. If I do it, you have to do it too.” Kim then plants a kiss to her girlfriend’s palm. “Not together, obviously, because I’m sure that wouldn’t be very healthy, we just started dating after all. But I can be there on your first appointments just like you’ll be there on mine.”

The short girl rolls her eyes, “Fine, I’ll talk to my dad about it. I’m sure he’ll consider it, he’s been very… nice lately. It’s almost weird, we haven’t been close in years.”

“Thank you, T.” Kimberly presses a chaste kiss to Trini’s lips.

“Now that that’s settled…” She pulls her girlfriend in for another kiss. “Wanna make out?”

Kim snorts, then covers her mouth with her hands.

“Oh my god, that was adorable.” Trini says, “I’m still waiting for your answer though. I’m hoping that snort wasn’t because you think I sound pathetic.”

Kimberly shakes her head, “I’m sorry, babe. You just caught me off guard, that’s all.” She giggles.

“Is that a yes? Or a no? Perhaps a maybe?” Trini’s face gets hot.

“That’s a yes.” She pulls Trini in by her shirt, pressing a deep kiss to her lips.

“Good.” Trini mumbles, their lips still pressed together, “It would have been so embarrassing if you said no.”

\---

Zack opens a suggestive smile when he sees the two girls walking into the pit.

“Hey, guys, look what the cat dragged in!” He calls out to his friends.

Jason throws a last punch at a putty, who breaks in half, and turns around to find Trini and Kimberly standing there, and Zack staring at them with a weird look.

Billy gets up from the rock he was sitting on, and makes his way to his friends.

“Oh, hello, girls! It’s good to have you back!” He exclaims, clearly happy to see them. “Alpha and Zordon have been asking for you.”

“Hi, Billy! We missed you!” Kimberly replies, smiling at the boy.

“Hey!” Zack complains, “What about me? Did you not miss me?”

“I definitely did not miss you, Zachary. You’re a pain in my ass.” Trini teases, pushing Zack’s shoulder. Kim smiles at their interaction, and Jason glances at her with a curious look.

“What?” She asks, suddenly feeling exposed.

He looks between the girl and Trini, expecting his friend to get it.

“Dammit, Jason.” Kimberly comments, shaking her head. “Listen, guys, Trini and I want to tell you something.”

Zack widens his eyes, knowing what to expect. Billy, on the other hand, looks clueless.

“What is it?” He questions.

Trini glances at Kimberly, who hesitantly grabs her hand and nods.

“Kim and I are together. Romantically. We’re, uh, dating. Each other.”

“I think they get it, T.”

Zack fist pumps the air enthusiastically, “Called it!” he yells. Trini rolls her eyes at her best friend.

Jason smiles at the girls, “I’m happy for you two. It was bound to happen.”

Billy claps in excitement, “That’s great! Congrats, girls!”

Kimberly grins and wraps her arms around Trini’s shoulders in a side hug.

“Thank you, guys.” She replies, her face lightly blushed. “We wanted to share that with you to avoid… you know, morphing problems in the future. But also, because we’re all best friends, right, sunflower?” Kim doesn’t notice her mistake until it’s out of her mouth.

Trini’s face gets red.

Zack lets out a booming laugh and Jason tries to stay serious but ends up cackling. Billy just opens a wide smile.

“I asked you one thing, Kimmy. One thing.”

Kimberly giggles, “I’m sorry, T! Honest mistake! Guys, she’s still a badass, okay? Don’t let her adorable nickname fool you.”

“I bet.” Zack replies, raising his brow teasingly at Trini.

“Shut up, Zack.” Trini complains, hiding her face on Kim’s neck.

“Yeah, shut up, Zack.” Kimberly adds.

“I agree, shut up, Zack.” Jason says, shaking his head.

“You guys suck. Except you, Billy, you’re good.”

Trini takes a deep breath, she’s happy. Kimberly might have made her look like a loser in front of their friends but it’s still a beautiful day.

When the girls walk back to Kim’s to wait for Trini’s father, with their hands joined together, the sun is almost setting. Trini doesn’t care what waits for her at home, she will always have this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is your chance to tell me what you still want to see in this fic. Leave it in the comments and I'll see what I can do about it. 
> 
> I won't talk about the other fic I'm planning here in the notes but if you want me to tell what it is about, hit me up in the comments or on tumblr. Maybe even twitter if that's your thing (@HeyNanda97).
> 
> Anyway, as always, thank you so much for the support, you guys are incredible! <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini gently squeezes Kimberly’s hand in hers as they’re about to be called into the psychologist’s office. “Are you sure you want me to go in with you?”
> 
> “I am! Please, sunflower, I’m so nervous I think I’m gonna barf.” Kim replies, frowning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really like this chapter and it's probably not very entertaining but some pretty important things happen in it so I had to write it. That being said, I realise I could have done a better job, but I'm not feeling very well so I thought it would be better if I just posted it like this.
> 
> I might end this on chapter 13.
> 
> edit: i forgot to mention that i'm not a psychologist (i'm actually majoring in it but i'm still a freshman so i know nothing) so forgive me if i say some pretty stupid things that make zero sense in the therapy part lol

Trini steps into the living room with her heart beating fast inside her chest. Her father had alarmed her on their way home that Anita would most likely want to talk to the girl. She’s still not ready to hear what her mother has to say. It might be good but it might also be worse than what she’s already said so far, and that would be… very… bad. Trini gulps when she sees the woman sat on the couch, a glass of wine in her hands.

“Trini, take a seat, please. I believe you and I should have a word.” Her voice sounds too loud on Trini’s ears. She nods and sits down next to her mother.

Javier glances at them for a few seconds before walking deeper inside the house and leaving them alone.

Anita takes a sip of her drink, then breathes deeply.  Trini looks around the living room, her palms sweaty.

“So? What is it you wanted to say?” Trini starts, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

“I- Your father and I talked earlier. About- about you.”

“What about me?”

Anita closes her eyes tightly, “Don’t torture me, you know what we talked about.”

Trini sighs, “Fine. And what did you decide? Should I pack my bags and leave, is that it? Are you kicking me out for loving another girl?”

“No! No, that’s not- I wouldn’t do that.” The woman quickly corrects her daughter’s assumption.

The air is tense and clearly uncomfortable, both women not knowing how to behave around each other.

“Right, because papá wouldn’t let you.” Trini’s voice doesn’t waver. She feels confident in herself and with who she is, she’s not letting her mother find a way to manipulate her or get into her head.

Anita sighs, “It makes sense that you would think that. I haven’t exactly been supportive of you and your… choices.”

“No shit. And I didn’t choose to be gay, mother. That doesn’t make any sense. Did you choose to be straight? Or are you just straight because that’s who you are? I’m not trying to piss you off, I’m just trying to explain how I feel.”

Trini shifts in her seat, now more uncomfortable than before. Anita clears her throat.

“I’ve never- I’m- I apologize for the things I’ve said. I might not agree with your, uh, sexuality, but that doesn’t give me the right to- to be mean to you and your… your girlfriend. You’re my daughter and I… I love you. Even if you’re not the exactly person I wanted you to be.” She glances tearfully at Trini, who widens her eyes in surprise.

“Thank you for saying that, I guess.” The young girl replies, looking down at her lap, her hands joined together awkwardly.

“That doesn’t really change what I did, does it? I understand I caused you pain and I am sorry about that. I hope you can forgive me and give me another chance to try and be better.”

Trini tries not to cry but thick, warm tears roll down her cheeks.

“I- I want to forgive you but I don’t think… I don’t think I can do that yet. You’re right, you hurt me. You humiliated me in front of my girlfriend and you insulted her to her face. I appreciate you having a change of heart, believe me, but I can’t- I can’t just let it go. This wasn’t a one time thing, you’ve been neglecting me and treating me like I’m ill for over two years now.” She angrily wipes her tears away but they keep coming down.

“You made us move to another fucking state because you thought we could run away from my feelings for other girls. You tried to keep my brothers away from me. You constantly undermined my self-esteem and treated me like a doll you get to play with and throw away when you decide you don’t like it anymore. Do you know how long it’s been since I got a hug or a kiss from you? You haven't even touched me in months. And I’m supposed to be your daughter.” Trini sighs, once again wiping her tears with her hands.

“So while I do appreciate you wanting to change things now, I hope you can see it’s not going to be that easy. You did more than just hurt me, mom, you made me feel worthless, you made me want to die because my feelings were “wrong”. It took me a long time to be okay with the person I am, because you kept making it hard for me to see it is okay to love who I love.”

Anita downs her wine and looks at the floor in shame for what she’s done.

“I am not trying to torture you, I’m just telling you the truth. I don’t want to sugarcoat things and pretend everything is okay because it’s not. I hope one day I can forgive you and maybe still have you in my life, but you need to understand this will take a lot more than just an apology.”

Trini takes a deep breath, “Was that all you had to say?” She adds, her voice still a little shaken.

Anita is quiet for a few seconds, and Trini gets up from the couch, assuming she was done.

“I understand. Will you tell Kimberly I’m sorry for mistreating her?” Trini stops to hear her mother out and respond her question.

“Tell her yourself the next time she comes over.” And with that, Trini walks upstairs and leaves Anita behind.

\---

“Zack? What are you doing here?” Trini asks, as soon as she walks into her bedroom and finds the boy lying down on her bed.

Zack rolls over to offer his friend some room on the mattress. “Hello to you too, Crazy Girl.”

Trini lies down carelessly next to Zack. “You never answered my question.”

Zack sighs, “Fine, I wanted to get some details! You didn’t answer any of my phone calls yesterday and now you’re back and you tell me you’re dating Kimberly at the same time you tell the other guys? Come on, I thought we were closer than that, T.”

Trini rolls her eyes and rubs her face tiredly, “I was busy yesterday! And Kim thought it’d be best if we told everybody together, don’t be a drama queen.”

Zack looks closely to his friend and notices her face is slightly damp and she seems to have been through a lot.

“Were you just crying? What happened?”

Trini groans, “My mother and I just had a… chat.”

The boy sits up worriedly, “I’m so sorry, was it bad?” He grabs Trini’s hand in support.

“Actually, she, uhm, she apologized.”

He frowns, “She did? So are those happy tears?”

“Not exactly. I can’t forgive her, Z. Not yet, at least. I’m crying because I remembered everything she made me go through.” Trini sighs, “You can’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t.” Zack comfortingly rubs his friend’s knuckles with his thumb. “I get that. I know not everyone is lucky to have such an amazing mom like I am. I’m here for you though, you’re my bromate.”

Trini chuckles, “Bromate? What the hell does that even mean?” She sits up on the bed and squeezes Zack’s hand.

“You know, like soulmate, but brotonic.”

“You mean platonic?”

“I said what I said.”

Trini lets out a loud laugh, but Zack stares at her with a clueless face as her laughing turns into sobbing and she envelops him in a tight hug. He gently pats her back, still confused.

“Thank you for being my friend.” Trini mumbles, her voice muffled by Zack’s shirt.

“Thank you for letting me.” He replies.

\---

Trini gently squeezes Kimberly’s hand in hers as they’re about to be called into the psychologist’s office. “Are you sure you want me to go in with you?”

“I am! Please, sunflower, I’m so nervous I think I’m gonna barf.” Kim replies, frowning.

“Hey, you’ll be fine, babe. I’ll hold your hand the entire time, will that help?” Trini presses a warm kiss to her girlfriend’s temple.

“Kimberly Hart, you can go in now. Room 312.” The secretary’s voice interrupts them. Kimberly nods before getting up and walking to the correct door with Trini.

She knocks, then the woman sitting down behind a desktop invites them in.

“Hello.” Kimberly greets, before taking a seat in front of the woman. Trini sits down next to Kim, a polite smile on her face.

“Hi, girls. Which one of you is Kimberly Hart?”

“I am.” Kimberly replies, forcing a smile.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Hart. My name is Grace Ziegler.” The woman introduces herself, “Now tell me, who is the beautiful lady with you?” Grace’s voice is calm and weirdly relaxing.

Kim opens an honest smile for the first time since she walked into the room. “This is my girlfriend, Trini.” She glances at the girl, who looks a little blushed, and their joined hands.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Trini. Would you happen to be Trini Gomez?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“So you’re scheduled right after Miss Hart here. That’s nice.” Grace offers Trini a smile.

Kimberly shifts in her seat, crossing her legs, and Grace turns to look at her again.

“Miss Hart, may I call you Kimberly? Feel free to say no, I want you to be comfortable. I can call you whatever you want me to, okay?”

Grace sounds sincere, which puts Kim a little more at ease.

“Of course. Kimberly is okay for now.”

“Alright. Now, Kimberly, since this is our first time here, I’m going to ask you a few questions so I can get to know you a little better, how does that sound?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Is it alright if I write some of your answers down? That will help me remember details I might need if we’re going to be working together.”

Kimberly nods.

“Full name?”

“Kimberly Ann Hart.”

“And how old are you, Kimberly?”

“Eighteen.”

“Is this your first time seeking therapy?”

Kimberly widens her eyes, “How did you know?”

“I actually ask that question to everybody, but if I’m being honest, you look nervous.” Grace smiles kindly, “That’s okay though, I understand it can be a little scary at first, but I assure you that you are safe here.”

Kim nods and Trini gives her hand a soft squeeze.

“What made you decide to talk to a professional?”

Kimberly takes a deep breath before answering. “It was actually Trini’s idea.”

“Oh, is that so? Why does Trini think that? And do you agree with her?”

“Well, I told her some things about my past and she wants to make sure I stay okay. I agree with her, even though I was a little reluctant at first.”

Grace nods, “Okay, do you think you can tell me anything about that? That’s important for me to know what we’re dealing with here.”

Kimberly hesitates for a second but ends up agreeing. Trini offers her a supportive smile.

“I guess you could say I have a history of self-harm and suicidal thoughts.”

“I see. And is that still happening?”

“No. I’ve been clean for almost five months now.”

“That’s good.”

“I still feel the urge to do it when things get tough though. And I, uh, I really hate myself sometimes.”

“Listen, Kimberly, recovering from something like that on your own must have taken a lot of strength and effort, it’s very impressive.” Grace comments, “But your girlfriend was right, it’s important for you to talk to someone so that we can make sure you get even better and start being a little fairer and more positive with yourself.”

Kim nods.

“We don’t need to get too into that today but in the future that might be necessary. Now, who do you live with?”

“My mom.”

“And is she all the family you have?”

Kimberly hesitates, “My dad used to live with us but- he… he, uh, used to drink a lot and get really aggressive. He’s gone now though, they’re getting a divorce.”

Grace nods, “How long have you been living only with your mother?”

“Almost two weeks.” She sighs.

“So that’s pretty recent. You said he got aggressive, has he ever physically harm you?”

“No, just my mom, once, I think.”

“Well...“ Trini interrupts.

“What is it, Miss Gomez? Do you disagree with Kimberly?” Grace questions.

Trini glances at Kim, who looks confused.

“I was there when he hurt Kim’s mom, and I would say he did harm Kim.”

“That was nothing, T.”

“Nothing? Miss Ziegler, he physically restrained her, he also shook her and his hold was way too tight.”

“Is that true, Kimberly?”

Kimberly shrugs, “I guess. I don’t really remember a lot from that day.”

“Miss Gomez, you said you were there, did you see something that you think might have caused Kimberly to forget the trauma?”

Trini sighs, “She dissociated, I think. She just kept staring ahead and was basically paralyzed and didn’t say anything for a long time. She didn’t even remember seeing me drag her father away from her or going outside.” She gently rubs her thumb over Kim’s knuckles.

“That might have been it. Kimberly, has that ever happened with you before?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Okay, keep an eye out for it just in case it ever happens again. You too, Miss Gomez. But It might have been caused by the traumatic experience, so it probably won’t happen again unless she goes through other traumas.” Grace warns them.

Trini nods.

“Are you still in school, Kimberly?”

“Yes.”

“Do you exercise?”

“Yes, I used to be a cheerleader, but I still exercise pretty regularly.”

Grace keeps asking question after question and next thing Kim knows, they’re out of time. She breathes in relief after noticing everything went okay.

\---

“Miss Gomez, you're up.” The woman smiles.

Trini nods in response.

“What should I call you?”

“Trini is alright.”

“Okay. How old are you, Trini?”

“Seventeen, almost eighteen.”

Grace writes down a few things but mostly focuses on Trini and her body language.

“Have you talked to a psychologist before or is this your first time as well?” Grace questions.

“First time.”

“And why are you here?”

Trini sighs, “Kim made me.”

Grace laughs kindly, “And why is that?”

“I have panic attacks sometimes, I guess.”

“When was the most recent one?”

Trini scratches the back of her neck, “Two days ago. I was fine though, Kim was there and she helped me though it.”

“Well, that’s good but it would be even better if you didn’t have panic attacks in the first place, don’t you think? I believe we can get there eventually. How often do you have them?”

“Every couple of weeks, I think? Sometimes once a week but only when I’m really stressed out.”

Kimberly frowns, she didn't know this.

“Do you remember when they started happening?”

Trini thinks for a few seconds, “Since uh,… since someone broke into my house and attacked me. It’s been a few months.”

Kimberly feels sick to her stomach. _How could Trini not tell her that? She’s been having panic attacks since Rita? Why did she not say anything?_ She forces herself not to interrupt their interaction, she can talk to her girlfriend later, alone.

“Were you-“ Grace starts, but gets interrupted by Trini.

“We fought and I got hurt. Then they left after breaking a lot of my shit.”

“I see. Who do you live with, Trini?”

“My parents and my two little brothers.” Trini is relieved to change the topic of the conversation.

“And how is your relationship with them?”

She sighs, “My brothers and I are close, I think. My dad had been distant for a while but we’re getting along a lot better lately. My mom… she’s difficult.”

“Do you want to elaborate on that?”

“Not really.”

“Trini.” Kimberly complains, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand.

“Fine. She doesn’t like that I like girls. We don’t get along. A few days ago she apologized but I’m not ready to forgive her.”

“I see. I assume you’re still at school…?” Grace comments.

“I am.”

Trini tries to relax and time goes by quickly. Next thing she knows, her and Kimberly are suddenly in Trini’s bedroom.

\---

Trini is seated at her desk doing homework while Kimberly is lying down on the girl’s bed.

“Hey, T?”

“Yes?” Trini glances at her girlfriend.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’ve been having panic attacks since Rita?” Kim sits up and shifts in her place.

Trini sighs, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t think it mattered.”

“It’s fine. I just wish you had told me. Even before we got together we were friends, I don’t know why you would hide that from me. Or Zack, for that matter. I assume you haven’t told him either.” Kimberly frowns, of course Trini wouldn't ask for help.

“You know me well, princesa.” Trini gets up from her chair and joins Kim on the bed, lying them down. “I really am sorry, I didn’t want you guys to worry about me.”

“I’m the pink power ranger, sunflower, I’m very, _very_ protective of the people I care about. And you, my dear, are one of those people. So I would worry about you either way.” Kim plants a soft kiss to Trini’s lips. “Please promise me, no more secrets.”

“Well, I’m the _yellow_ power ranger, Kimmy, I bow down to no king.” Trini comments, earning a glare from Kimberly. “Queens though, they are my weakness. So fine, I promise.”

“I thought I was a princess?”

“You are. Your mother is the queen, she’s the one I’m weak for.” She teases.

Kimberly lightly pushes her away, “Jerk.”

Trini giggles, “I might be a jerk but you have to admit I’m a lovely jerk.”

“I’m not admitting anything.” Kim tries not to laugh, but it’s hard.

“Kimmy?”

“What, jerk?” Kimberly glances back at Trini, who is pouting. “Stop that, it’s not fair when you look that cute.”

Trini smiles bright, “I’m a jerk who’s in love with you.”

Kim’s heart skips a beat and she pulls Trini in for a searing kiss. This is still so new and different and just as amazing as the first time.

“I’m glad you’re in love with me because _I_ have been in love with you for just a little bit longer.”

“I doubt it.” Trini teases, kissing Kim’s forehead.

“Please let me have this, sunflower.” Kim pouts.

Trini glances adoringly at her girlfriend, “Fine, princesa, whatever you want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this basically sucked but if you guys could just leave a little comment telling me I'm not the worst person in the world that would really help me, I'm feeling awful and this chapter hasn't helped. If you don't, that's fine, thanks anyway for reading my trash.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don’t know if that’s a great idea, princesa.”
> 
> Kim pouts, “Please, sunflower. I miss you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I loved writing this chapter but it was pretty hard to come up with it, it really hit me that I might have already done everything I planned with this fic (apart from a few things that I saved for the last chapter of the story) so I got a little sad because it's ending. That's why this chapter is not that long. Anyway, I hope you guys like it!

Trini awakes with the sound of her brothers’ laughter. She shifts lazily on the bed before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. 10:14 a.m., flashes the clock on her bedside table. The girl looks around and finds nothing out of the ordinary in her bedroom.

Shrugging, Trini quickly jumps in the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face before changing into black shorts and a pink sweatshirt that looks way too big on her petite body. Kimberly had forgotten it at Trini’s the day before. It still smells like her. Trini smiles, breathing in the familiar scent. She puts her hair in a messy ponytail and decides to get breakfast downstairs.

Trini stops midway towards the kitchen when she hears a very familiar voice, followed by Juan Pablo’s chuckle. She turns around to find Jason Scott, seated on her couch, playing with her brothers with some silly action figures. Trini frowns in surprise.

“Jason? What are you doing here? It’s… early.” She mumbles, getting her friend’s attention. Jason smiles at her.

“Good morning to you too, Trini.”

Diego gets up from his spot on the floor and hides behind his sister’s legs.

“Hi, buddy.” Trini offers the young boy, messing his hair. Then, she looks back at Jason. “Whatever, what do you want? Did my parents let you in?”

Jason shakes his head in fake annoyance, “Jeez, are you always this grumpy in the morning? I was walking by your neighborhood and thought I’d come say hi… and maybe get some free breakfast. Which I did, by the way. Your father is very friendly.”

Trini rolls her eyes. She presses a quick kiss to Juan Pablo’s head before sitting now next to her friend. “Hi.” She says, “Happy? Now you can go.”

Jason gets up with a frown, “Fine, I’ll leave. I just wanted to tell you I’m thankful that you talked Kim into getting help. You’re clearly not in the mood to talk, so I’ll just go. Tell your father thanks for the food.”

Trini looks taken aback by her friend’s words. “Wait. She told you about that?”

He sighs, “She didn’t need to. She’s my best friend, Trini. So is Billy, but that’s not the point. I noticed what was going on.”

“How long have you known?”

“A few months. I remember feeling this weird thing on my chest one day and all I could think about was Kimberly hurting herself. So I drove all the way to her house at eleven p.m. and I looked through her bedroom window and she was just sitting there, on the floor, staring at a razor that was dropped in front of her, like she had tried to throw it away but couldn’t.” Jason tells his friend, his voice serious and with a hint of sadness. “I texted you that night. _Keep Kim company tonight, she needs you._ I remember it word for word.”

“ _Don’t tell her I sent you._ ” Trini completes, reciting the text, “I do too, it was the first time we had a real, honest conversation. She asked me to spoon her. Never talked about it again.” She sighs, “I had no idea.”

Jason opens a small smile, “I waited at Kimberly’s window until I saw your car. She must have heard it because she hid the blade right away. Then I ran back home and I knew she’d be okay.” He explains, “She might be my best friend, but I could feel I wasn’t the person she needed at that moment.”

Trini gets up from the couch and engulfs Jason in a tight hug.

“Thank you, boss. You’re a good friend.” She mumbles into his shoulder.

“Don’t call me boss.” He replies after letting go of the girl.

“Alright, boss.” Trini smirks.

\---

Kimberly wipes the sweat away from her forehead and grins at Zack and Billy, who are carelessly sprawled on the ground, after having their asses kicked by the girl.

“When did you get this strong?” Zack asks, struggling to get back up.

“I’m as strong as both of you guys. I destroyed you simply because I was focused on finishing this so I could get home and make out with my girlfriend.” She smirks. Trini, who was seated at the corner of the pit with Jason, gets red in the face and opens a big smile. Jason elbows her ribs in a teasing manner.

Alpha 5 looks proud of Kimberly, “I don’t know what you mean exactly but it worked! Everyone, you should follow Miss Hart’s strategy!”

“I don’t have a girlfriend to think about making out with.” Billy explains, finally getting up from the floor.

“You could picture me, I wouldn’t mind.” Zack suggests, a teasing grin on his face.

Beside Trini, Jason looks oddly uncomfortable. The short girl throws a glance at Kimberly, then uses her chin to discreetly point to the suddenly annoyed guy. Kim raises her brow in thought before approaching them and sitting down next to Jason.

“I don’t really think that would help with my fighting, Zack. But thank you.” Billy replies to his friend.

“Jealous much?” Kimberly whispers in Jason’s ear, loud enough for Trini to hear.

The guy turns almost as red as his armor’s color, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He gets up, “Okay, everyone, I think we’re done for today.”

“I think big boss has a crush.” Trini mumbles teasingly.

Kimberly and Trini giggle amongst themselves, while Billy and Zack look satisfied to hear Jason’s “good news”, clueless to the interaction that had just happened between their friends.

\---

Kim closes the door as soon as her and Trini make their way inside the bedroom. She pushes her girlfriend against the door and presses hungry kisses to the short girl’s neck.

Trini blushes but tries not to lose her ground, “Kimmy, if your mom catches us and loses her respect for me, I swear I’m not touching you for a whole week.”

Kimberly kisses Trini’s cheek affectionately and smirks, “That won’t be necessary, mom is pretty busy with work, I doubt she’ll be looking for us any time soon.” She raises her brow suggestively.

“We’re not having sex for the first time with your mother in the house, Kimberly, I don’t care how busy she is.” Trini shakes her head, trying not to moan when her girlfriend gently bites her earlobe.

“Fine.” Kimberly sighs, “That doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun, right?” She catches Trini’s lips with hers in a quick kiss.

“I don’t know if that’s a great idea, princesa.”

Kim pouts, “Please, sunflower. I miss you.”

Trini feels her face getting hot, “How can you even miss me? I’m here right now.”

“You know what I mean. I’ve wanted to kiss you all day and you wouldn’t let me.” She keeps pouting, which makes Trini’s heart skip a beat.

“We were training, babe, it’s not my fault I couldn’t stop kicking Jason’s ass to kiss my needy girlfriend.” She avoids looking at Kim’s adorable pout but it’s hard.

“Yeah, I know, but still. Please, your needy girlfriend wants to make out. Just a little bit. I promise I’ll behave.” Kimberly smirks, “That is, if you want me to.”

Trini can’t control herself any longer and crashes her lips on Kim’s in a searing kiss that leaves them breathless. Kimberly gently pushes Trini until the short girl is sitting on Kim’s bed. Then, she straddles her girlfriend’s waist and tugs at her hair, which makes Trini let out a whimper that sounds louder than she intended to.

“Fuck, baby, if you keep making sounds like that you’re gonna make me have a very embarrassing accident.” Kimberly comments, before gently biting her girlfriend’s neck. Her heart is racing faster than she’s ever felt.

Trini tightens her hold around Kim’s waist. “I’m pretty sure I might have that embarrassing accident first with you teasing me like that.” She pulls Kimberly’s face back up to kiss her lips again.

Kim lets out a warm laugh into Trini’s mouth, before teasingly pulling her girlfriend’s hair once more. Trini mewls against Kimberly’s lips, “I hate you.” She adds, embarrassed at the noise she makes.

“You like it when I pull your hair, don’t you?” Kim asks, raising her eyebrow and smirking. “How about…” She suddenly takes her shirt off and throws it on the ground.

Trini’s face gets red and her eyes start watering, Kimberly is so beautiful. She can’t believe this is actually happening. There’s a girl, sitting on her lap, with no shirt on. That girl is her girlfriend. Wow. She stares adoringly at Kim and her heart is beating fast against her chest and she feels like the luckiest girl in the whole world.

“Baby…” Kim pulls Trini in for a hug, then presses various kisses to her face.

That’s when Trini realizes. She’s been crying. Kimberly took her shirt off and Trini cried.

She quickly wipes at her cheeks and tries to hide her face on Kimberly’s shoulder, “This is so embarrassing. Why are you doing this to me, Kimmy?”

“Hey.” She gently rubs Trini’s back, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, I’m not going to make fun of you. I’m your girlfriend, you make me feel some pretty crazy, awesome things, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Kim presses a warm peck to Trini’s cheek. “It’s okay to cry.”

“It’s just- sometimes I still can’t believe this is happening. Kimberly Hart is…” She squeezes Kim’s thighs, “my girlfriend.” Trini sighs, “I’m sorry I’m being silly, I just really like you and I feel so many things I don’t know what to focus on. God, I hate how cheesy you make me, but I just- I feel so lucky and so happy to have you in my life.”

“I know that, and I’m in love with you, remember? I feel like that too. You can always be yourself when we’re together, okay?” Kimberly cups her girlfriend’s cheeks, before planting a gentle kiss to her lips. “I’m never gonna judge you for feeling things. I know it might be a little overwhelming for you but you’re not alone.”

Trini nods, her hold around Kim’s waist getting just a little tighter. “Thank you, princesa.”

“Anytime, love.” Kimberly smiles kindly, then catching Trini’s lips with hers in a soft kiss.

\---

“So… my mother wants to talk to you, can you come over after class today?” Trini asks, walking hand in hand with Kimberly on the crowded school hallway. Some people stop to stare at them but the girls give them no attention.

“Sure. I’m confused though, why would she want to talk to me? It’s not like she likes me very much…” Kim comments in response. Jason, Zack, and Billy walk a few steps in front of them, talking amongst themselves.

“She might try to apologize for all the shit she put you through. I won’t be mad if you don’t forgive her, alright? Don’t feel like you have to get along with her just because she’s my mom.”

Kimberly sighs, then running her fingers through her short hair, “I know, Trin. How are things between you though? Is she behaving any differently?”

“I guess. She’s being a little nicer to me, so that’s an honest surprise. But if you want to know if I’m any closer to forgiving her, then no. It will probably take a while, even if she suddenly starts actually treating me like a daughter.” Trini says. Kim nods in understanding.

“I get that, I’m proud of you, you know. For being so strong. It must have been hard to deal with that for so long.”

“Well, it _was_ hard, but it’s so much better now that dad is being supportive and I have an amazing girlfriend who helps me forget all about my shitty mother, who’s having a little trouble trying to be less of a dick. That and I have friends now, so that’s good, I guess.”

Kimberly smiles, “Ooh, amazing girlfriend, you say? Who is she? Do I know her?”

Trini rolls her eyes in fake annoyance, “She’s this pretty impressive chick, used to be a cheerleader, is great at biology, oh and she has beautiful hair and looks pretty hot in pink.”

“Really? What about yellow? Does she look any good in it?” Kimberly asks, looking down at the yellow shirt she’s wearing. The shirt used to belong to Trini but she kept complaining about how it was too big on her, so Kim ended up taking it for herself.

Trini grins, “Oh yeah.” She pulls Kimberly’s head down to whisper in her ear, “I love to see you wearing my color, princesa. It’s almost like you’re discreetly letting everyone know you’re mine.”

Kim feels her face getting hot and presses a quick kiss to her girlfriend’s temple. “Thank you, sunflower. By the way, pink really suits you.” She motions to Trini’s pink beanie.

“Why, thank you, Kimmy. It’s really not my favorite color but someone I know really likes it so I just keep wearing it to see them blush.” Trini explains, smirking.

Kimberly just smiles and gives her girlfriend’s hand a gentle squeeze. Her heart fills with joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the last one :( 
> 
> I just want to say that I'm soooo thankful for all the love and support you guys have been showing me since I started this fic. I love this fandom and it makes me feel so happy!! I promise I'll write more trimberly fics in the near future! I already have a few ideas, and hopefully you guys (or at least some of you) like it!
> 
> If any of you ever need someone to talk to or just want a friend, feel free to find me on tumblr or twitter! Or even here in the comments, really! I promise I'm nice :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hi, Mrs. Gomez. Trini told me you wanted to talk to me…” Kimberly replies, squeezing her girlfriend’s knee under the table.
> 
> “Right to the point then.” Anita takes a deep breath, “Trini has probably already told you, but I’ve been trying to change how I deal with… with her sexuality. So that includes how I deal with your relationship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... sorry for the long wait but it's finally here! I just finished writing it! Also, I know it's short but this is the best I could do. That being said, I loved writing this fic for you guys and I'm so thankful for all the love and support you have shown me through it. I hope you like it <3

Kimberly sits down at the Gomez’ dinner table and nervously pulls Trini to sit next to her, even though the girl was planning on going to her room to give Kimberly and Anita privacy.

Anita widens her eyes when she notices the girls, and quickly clears her throat before taking off her reading glasses and shifting in her seat.

“Hello, Kimberly. Mija, did you have a good day at school?” She questions.

Trini shrugs.

“Hi, Mrs. Gomez. Trini told me you wanted to talk to me…” Kimberly replies, squeezing her girlfriend’s knee under the table.

“Right to the point then.” Anita takes a deep breath, “Trini has probably already told you, but I’ve been trying to change how I deal with… with her sexuality. So that includes how I deal with your relationship.”

Kimberly nods. She would never tell Trini that but her heart is racing in nervousness.

“Look, Kimberly, I’m sorry about the way I treated you. I was out of line when I said all those things.”

“When? You’ve said a lot of bad things to and about me, numerous times.” She lets out, then gulping and wonders if she should regret saying that.

Anita looks taken aback by Kimberly’s outburst, but recovers.

“I mean I am sorry about all the times I was rude to you. I was cruel and unfair and I apologize.”

Kimberly nods, “Mrs. Gomez…” She takes a deep breath, “the truth is, I don’t care. I don’t care that you were mean to me, okay? I care about the way you treat Trini. That’s all. So what I’m saying is, I forgive you for what you’ve said to me. However, I do not forgive you for making my girlfriend, your daughter, cry and feel worthless.” She closes her eyes tightly, “I understand you are trying to be better and I’m so happy for that, but I will only be able to fully forgive you when Trini does, I hope you can understand that.”

Anita looks calm and unsurprised to hear Kim’s words. She quietly nods.

Kimberly grabs the woman’s hand on the table and holds on to it.

“I’m glad you’re trying, Mrs. Gomez, I am. Maybe someday we’ll be able to do things together and talk about our days and have fun together. All of us.” She quickly glances at Trini, “If your daughter still wants me around, that is.” Kimberly laughs warmly.

Trini opens a loving smile and presses a quick kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek, “I’d like that.” She says.

“I hope so, Kimberly. Thank you for that.” Anita replies, smiling honestly. “Would you be willing to join us for dinner today?”

Kim nods kindly before letting go of the woman’s hand and finally relaxing on her seat. Trini’s heart feels full and oh so happy.

\---

Kimberly is seating down on the living room floor with Juan Pablo and Diego, who are playing on their ps4 when she suddenly feels a tight pressure inside her chest. She looks around and sees Anita and Javier cooking dinner in their own little love bubble. Trini was still asleep upstairs since she left her about an hour ago.

The pressure gets tighter and she finds it harder to breathe, but it almost feels like an out of body experience, like she’s not really the one who’s suffering. Her phone vibrates on her lap and she unlocks it to read a text message from Billy.

**Lovely blue child (5:28 p.m.):** Are you with Trini? I feel weirder than usual and I think it’s coming from her, is she okay?

_Fuck. Of course._

Kimberly gets up from the ground and quickly tells Trini’s brothers she will be back soon, before running upstairs to her girlfriend’s bedroom.

The lights are off but Kim can see Trini hugging her legs and lightly shaking, her back pressed against the wall. She turns the lights on and as quick as she can, Kimberly sits down next to Trini, who up close looks like she’s trying hard to focus on her breathing.

“Sunflower? I’m here.” She touches the short girl’s knee and Trini looks up at her, nodding.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Trini nods again.

Kimberly gently rubs her girlfriend’s back in comfort and gets even closer to her. “Can I hold you, baby?”

Trini half nods before throwing herself on Kimberly’s arms, almost climbing on her lap. Kim wraps herself around the girl, pressing a warm kiss to her shoulder.

“I’ve got you, T. You’re safe, I promise.” She whispers, her voice soft and reassuring.

Trini’s hold gets tighter as her breathing starts getting slower and deeper. “Please don’t leave me.”

Kimberly frowns, “I’m not going anywhere, Trini.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. I’m all yours, baby.” She plants numerous pecks against Trini’s skin.

Trini feels tears rolling down her cheeks, “Is this real? Right now? Am I awake?”

Kimberly gently holds her girlfriend’s head against her chest, “Can you hear my heart beating? You’re awake, sunflower. You’re here, I’m here, this is real.”

Trini looks up at Kim and presses a soft kiss to her jaw. “Thank you.” She’s still crying but her heart is calmer now. “This is real.”

“It is.” Kimberly looks lovingly at Trini, who opens a sad smile. Another thick tear rolls down her face and Kim catches it with her thumb, then kissing both of her girlfriend’s cheeks warmly.

Trini suddenly starts laughing through her tears and Kimberly stares at her confusedly but with a smile on her lips.

“What’s happening right now?” Kimberly asks, teasingly.

Trini only smiles harder, but never stops crying.

The only sound is Trini’s laughter for a few seconds, until she pulls her girlfriend in for a soft kiss. “I love you, Kimberly.” She whispers against her lips. “I love you.”

Kimberly smiles in surprise, then pulls Trini in for another kiss. “I love you too, Trini. I love you so much.”

Trini is now seated on Kim’s lap, laughing desperately as she kisses everywhere she can reach. Kimberly suddenly starts laughing just as much and lies them down on the carpeted floor, holding Trini as close as she can. Their hearts beat in harmony. Trini doesn’t remember her nightmare.

\---

A few minutes later, the boys are climbing through Trini’s bedroom window. Jason smiles in relief as he sees the girls. They’re lying down on the floor, Trini on top of Kimberly, her head pressed against the taller girl’s chest. She doesn’t need to look up to notice her friends’ presence.

Jason lies down next to them, and is quickly followed by Zack, who wraps his arms around the couple, and Billy, who rests his head on Jason’s stomach and holds Kim and Trini’s joined hands, smiling kindly.

Together, the five teenagers feel safe and whole.

Billy is the first to say anything, “I love you guys.”

“Me too, Billy.”, Trini replies, squeezing their hands. Kimberly grins, “Same here. I love you all.”

Zack pushes Trini just a little to rest his head on Kimberly’s shoulder, his arms still wrapped around the girls’ bodies, “Yeah, I love you guys too.”

Jason lets out a happy sigh, “I do too. You’re my family. Every single one of you.” He holds Kimberly’s free hand and gently pats Billy’s chest.

If Trini’s parents find it weird they don’t say anything, as they call them all down for dinner an hour later after walking into their daughter’s bedroom and finding the teenagers huddled together like a puppy pile.

Trini has never felt as loved as she feels from that day on. She squeezes Kimberly’s hand under the dinner table, glances at her two families seated around her, and smiles.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. I'm kinda sad it's over but I'm really happy at the same time. I haven't actually finished a multichapter fic in so long, holy shit. 
> 
> I want to thank every single one of the people who left kudos, comments, or reached out to me on tumblr. This has been a great journey for me and I'm sooo happy you guys joined me on it! 
> 
> I'm still gonna write more trimberly fics, and hopefully you like them as much as this one! But tbh i will be just as happy if you like it half as much as you did this one.
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr as useless-queer (i'm thinking about changing my url tho, i'll let you know) or twitter as @HeyNanda97 Come say hi! 
> 
> Thank you and have a great week!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Go yell at me on tumblr, i'm @elenalvrz


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